Recovery
by SapphireMind
Summary: Two years post X-3, my take on how things should go. Featuring Wolverine, Xavier, Rogue, Scott and more. Rogan.
1. I

Author's note: I apologize to people in other fandoms for starting yet another new fic, but on the bright side, it means my fanfic bug is back and that means I'm much more likely to finish my other stories. I actually have the next couple of chapters of my X-Men Evolution fic just about ready.

General disclaimers: I own none of these characters. I also need to rewatch 1-3, but I was bitten by the bug and decided to go with it before my muse left me. Reviews are greatly appreciated.

The story takes places after X3. There are obviously spoilers in it, though I imagine if you haven't seen it by now, you're not going to. It's how I would like to see things move forward.

Thanks for reading, enjoy.

O o o o o o o O

He had come back again.

After he killed Jean, he took off. No one really expected him to stay after that. Jean was gone, the Professor was gone, Wolverine took off. That's how it worked.

But he came back. Without ceremony, he pulled up to the school on Scott's bike, a duffle slung over his shoulder. He looked the same, he never looked different. It was always the same swagger that he always had, the same 'fuck it' attitude.

"_Welcome back, Logan._" Wolverine startled; he had been told the Professor was in a new body and alive again, but hearing the familiar voice was eerie. Briefly he wondered if it were possible that Jean had done the same thing. Maybe she was out there somewhere…No. He stopped himself from going down that path. Down that path led madness, and he'd already been there before. Charles, if he were still listening, was polite enough to not say anything further.

Wolverine dropped his duffle off just inside the doorway, looking for familiar faces. As much as he was a loner and struggled with interpersonal relationships, a part of him still wanted them, still wanted some sort of belonging. Granted, it was a small part, but he was indulging that instinct now as he meandered through the building.

It had been two years since Jean died. It was both a lifetime and the blink of an eye. He could remember like it was yesterday the horror and despair of destroying her with his claws, and just how long it had been since he had heard her voice as anything but a memory. He shook his head to clear it and resumed his search through the mansion, heading towards the classrooms and offices.

"Alright now, we're talking about Shakespeare. What's the difference between his comedies and tragedies?" A female was clearly lecturing in an English class.

He couldn't see the teacher, but he heard a male voice quip, "The body count at the end?" The classroom laughed.

The unseen teacher laughed along with them, "Well, bluntly put, that's exactly right. I had a teacher once tell me I could tell the difference if I took the characters alive at the end versus the characters alive at the beginning and the number was greater than 3." The students laughed again. "But, besides that, what are other diff - " The voice cut off suddenly as she came into view, an auburn haired woman with a framing of pure white hair around her face. "Excuse me for a moment," she said to her students and rushed out the door.

Logan, for his part, felt it was only right that she was the first one he saw. It all started with her, this era of his life. He smiled at her as she opened the door and threw herself into his arms. "You came back!"

"I always do, darlin'." He hugged her tightly in return, noting that she still did not wear gloves and the complete abandon with which she touched him. Before, when she would hug him, it was careful, making sure that nothing touched, but she was free from her restrictions and had become fully accustomed to it.

He broke the embrace finally and held her at arm's length so he could see her. "How are you doing? Let me take a look at you." She had gotten older of course, everyone gets older except for him. He noted a scar on her collarbone and another on her right arm; he would have to ask about those later. Otherwise, she looked healthy and happy. That made him happier than he'd felt in a while.

"So do I pass inspection?" she said in a teasing tone. Though her tone was light-hearted, her eyes were serious and did not leave his face.

He feigned seriousness and nodded. "Yeah, you seem to have grown up ok."

"Thanks," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her tone, then she hugged him tightly again, whispering, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again." Before he could comment, she pulled away, realizing that her entire class was standing at the door to the classroom, watching her reunion with Wolverine. Just the faintest hint of color came to her cheeks, and she said, "I need to get back to my class, will you still be here when I get done?"

Logan frowned slightly, both comments by her striking a sense of guilt into him. He hadn't meant for her to think he was never coming back or would never see her again. But now was definitely not the time, and so he nodded. "Yeah, I'll be here."

She gave him another smile, and then returned to her class.

O o o o o o o O

Logan continued through the halls, heading rather purposefully to Charles' office. The door opened for him as he was raising his hand to knock on it, causing him to mutter to himself, "_Damn psychics._"

It was strange. When he entered, the 'new' Xavier stood up. A younger man in his forties, with a full head of brown hair now stood before him. "Yes, it is difficult to determine which is more odd, my walking or having a full head of hair." The voice was different when it was coming out of the new body's mouth, but the expression of amusement and friendship that was on the face of the stranger was so familiar, there was no doubt as to who resided in that body.

"We've missed you, Logan." Xavier smiled and motioned for the other man to have a seat.

Wolverine always did have a knack for verbal expression, so he said, "Hunh," and went to sit down across from the desk of his friend. "So what's new, Chuck? Besides the hair and legs and all."

The warm smile stayed on Xavier's face, "We have more students than ever. As I think you've seen, several former students have elected to stay at the school and teach. We're making some small progress with the Mutant Registration Act." He sat back and folded his hands. "We're recovering and forging on."

Wolverine flinched at the word 'recovering', it serving to remind him of Jean and his horrible last moments with the team. "Good to hear." He took out a cigar, but kept it in his hands when he caught the sharp glance from the Professor, remembering a threat about being made to think he was a little girl.

"How are you?" His voice was gentle, and Logan respected the fact he asked out loud, instead of just searching his mind for the answers.

Logan shrugged, "I'm ok. I came back, didn't I?" His eyes cut to the picture of Scott and Jean on the wall, his jaw tightening but otherwise steady, to show he had dealt with his grief.

"That you did." Charles smiled again. "And we are happy to have you back…" Wolverine sensed a 'but' coming. "You should know, we found Scott."

That caused Wolverine to startle, "Scott or his body?" Like everyone else, Wolverine assumed that Summers had been killed by Jean.

"Scott. He's alive. Jean managed to push him away before Phoenix could kill him. He was seriously injured though." Charles' voice was grave.

"How?"

"He required extensive skin grafting." Logan didn't need to hear any more. He knew what Jean was capable of doing.

"He ok now?" Asshole or not, Summers was still an ally and part of the X-Men.

Xavier sighed, "Recovery is a long process, as I'm sure you know." He gave Wolverine a pointed look, warning him to not antagonize the former leader. "Are you planning on staying for a while?"

Logan paused. He hadn't really decided before he came here, but now that he had, the answer was easier to come up with. "Yeah, I think so. If ya got room, that is."

"You are an X-Man, Logan. There is always room for you." Charles stood up again and clapped Logan on the shoulder.

O o o o o o o o o O

The Wolverine threw his duffle into a corner of his new room. Well, new old room. They hadn't moved anyone else into it, like they always knew he would come back. "_At least Chuck knew that._" It bothered him that Marie had been so surprised to see him back. He knew she had her own demons though and she definitely had some abandonment issues. He supposed he didn't help with those much.

He walked out of his room, scenting the air and just barely finding Summers'. It was mixed with another, which is why he didn't notice it at first. He walked towards the highest concentration, figuring he might as well get this over with.

He banged on the door twice. The voice that answered him shocked him. It was a harsh and rough voice that said, "Come in." Logan opened the door and the shock of the voice was nothing compared to the shock of seeing the former pretty-boy as he sat at a desk, his ruby glasses firmly on his face as always.

The Professor was not exaggerating when he said Scott had needed extensive skin grafts. He was wearing a short sleeve shirt, showing the uneven coloration and texture of skin that didn't quite fit right. His face was slightly better; the left side of his face being almost completely spared. The right side was heavily scarred and marked from grafts. His right ear had been reconstructed and he was bald.

Scott sat back in his chair while the other man gaped at him. "Funny, isn't it? Now I'm the bald one and the Professor has a full head of hair." There was no attempt to hide the underlying bitterness at his appearance.

"Funny wasn't the word that I was thinking of." It was the closest he could come to saying he was sorry for what Scott had gone through. He knew all too well what it was like to be close to the Phoenix when she was out of control and that his mutation was the only reason he was still alive.

Cyclops nodded. He and Logan shared a bond, however twisted it was, thanks to Jean and the Phoenix. "You sticking around?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He unceremoniously sat down in an armchair near Summers, still staring openly. "Does it hurt?"

"Every day." Scott clearly was referring to more than his face.

And suddenly, Logan flashed back to a conversation he had with Rogue.

"_When they come out, does it hurt?" She looked up at him earnestly._

"_Every time."_

Forcing himself back into the present, he simply replied, "Yeah." He understood Scott, maybe more than anyone else anymore.

"Does Marie know you're back?" Scott abruptly changed the subject, clearly trying to avoid the unpleasant thoughts.

An eyebrow arched slightly at Scott calling his Marie by her name. He supposed she wasn't going by Rogue anymore, now that she wasn't a mutant, but it still seemed wrong for other people to call her Marie. It was too personal, it was something that belonged to him. He grunted and nodded in affirmation. "Should probably go find her now that school's out." Logan stood, and then smirked, "Your bike is in the garage. Needs gas."

Scott automatically shot his hand up to catch the keys being tossed and couldn't help but grin. The teasing and mocking made things seem more normal and ok between him and Logan. Logan, for his part noted that Scott definitely moved more slowly, more carefully, his skin not fitting exactly right over his joints and bones, causing him pain. Scott looked at him before he left, defying him to mention it, but the larger man said nothing and just walked out the door.


	2. II

AN: Thanks for the two reviews I've gotten so far :) I got put on like 14 story alerts and a couple favorite stories, would completely appreciate if those people who did that would leave a review. :)

Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! Fixed one continuity issue at the end of the chap.

O o o o o o o o o O

Marie took several deep breaths as she walked back into her classroom, trying to focus again on Shakespeare, not the man who was now walking away. Her students had all rapidly returned to their seats, trying to avoid getting in trouble.

"Was that Wolverine?" Kelly, one of the newer students asked. Obviously they had all heard stories about the previous X-Men and Wolverine was not a subtle character in the stories.

The blush remaining on her cheeks, Marie nodded, but forged on with her lesson, "Yes, but we were talking about tragedies and comedies. Let's go back to that. While the body count is obviously bigger in tragedies, comedies tend to be in pastoral settings. Who wants to explain what a pastoral setting is?" She did her best to push Logan out of her mind for the remainder of the hour. He promised he would be there when she got done and she had to trust that he would be.

O o o o o o o o O

After finishing with Scott, Logan went out on the balcony to smoke. He was still shocked at what had happened to the other man. Part of him wondered if Scott knew that he had finally been the one to kill Jean. Probably, the kid wasn't totally stupid. What a completely and totally fucked up situation it was. He leaned back against the railing and took a deep breath of the clean air he was now polluting.

It was good to be back. It was nice to have a place to call home, as much as he hated to admit it. He watched as kids started to wander by the French doors of the balcony, figuring that meant classes were over.

He stubbed out his cigar on the railing, putting the remainder of it in his inside jacket pocket for later. Marie must be done by now, time to go find her.

O o o o o o o O

When class ended, Marie paused. She wanted to talk to Logan, but decided that she should talk to Scott first and see how he was doing. She and Scott had become close friends since his return.

When he had first come back, she took care of him a lot. She had already left the team and wanted to feel useful. It was an odd bond, her trying to cope with the loss of power and the loneliness inside her head, and he trying to cope with the loss of his fiancée.

She was worried that Logan's return would upset him. There was no way in the world she would want Logan to leave, but maybe she could make the tension between the two better. With that thought, she hurried off to find Scott.

O o o o o o o O

"Come in," a tone of annoyance in his voice. He was trying to work, but he had to admit that Wolverine's presence was knocking him off-balance and he had gotten nothing done since Logan left. The tone of annoyance left his voice though when he saw Marie was the one at the door. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm good...how are you?" she asked carefully while walking into Scott's office.

Cyclops shrugged, "I'm ok. We talked. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. He brought back my bike in one piece." They both laughed at that. "How are you?" He looked at her more carefully.

Marie perched on the edge of his desk. "I'm ok, really. It's weird and all, but good to see him. Didn't think I ever would again."

Scott muttered under his breath, "You'd think the man was a cat for the number of lives he had." That also caused Marie to break out into laughter.

"I'm not a cat." Wolverine growled at the doorway, tamping Marie's laughter into quiet snickers.

He glared at her and she stood up quickly, looking back at Scott. "I'm going to go catch up. I'll be back later." She gave him a wink and a smile and grabbed Wolverine by the arm to lead him out the door. Logan shifted his glare from Marie to Scott, as the little prick just sat there with a smug smile on his deformed face before Logan allowed himself to be relocated.

O o o o o o o O

"What's going on with One Eye?" Wolverine almost growled, his eyes now back on Marie, who still had his arm, even though he didn't need to be dragged anywhere.

"He was injured by Ph…" Marie cut herself off, not wanting to upset Logan by mentioning his dead love, changing phrasing, "He was injured and well…" This was not going well by Marie's standards. She led Logan through another doorway, into a room not too far from his where there was a bed, a couple of armchairs and a desk. "Just wanted, you know. Make sure he was ok," she finished lamely. Saying "I wanted to make sure he wasn't freaking out that the man who also was in love with _his_ fiancée and was the one who ultimately killed her was back in the mansion" was not very tactful nor conducive to keeping Wolverine around.

"Yeah. I know." Logan frowned, that wasn't exactly what he meant, but he wasn't going to push it. He looked around appraisingly, "This your place?" She gave a nod, which he returned, "Nice."

"Thanks. Have a seat?" she motioned to one of the comfy chairs, taking one herself and folding her legs under her.

He sat down in the other chair, watching her tuck her legs under her. "So, what all have I missed?"

"Well, that depends, how far out of contact were you?" she asked curiously.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Who's the president now?"

Marie laughed again, he loved to hear her laugh. "Alright. Well, the Mutant Registration Act passed." She said this full of disdain and disappointment. "I've been working publicly to fight it." Jean's old position, left unsaid. She cleared her throat to continue. "It's tied up in litigation right now. We're still refusing to register, citing it's unconstitutional."

The edges of a smile came to Logan's mouth that she still included herself in the mutant group, even though she was no longer one. "Good. We all know what they'll do with those lists."

Marie nodded. "Yeah, we do. Mutants that volunteered for registration have been disappearing. There's always excuses – a aunt that needs cared for overseas, retirement away from the public eye. But they're just that, excuses."

"So are they killing 'em or recruiting 'em?" Logan broke in, frowning at either option.

Marie shrugged, "We're still trying to find out. It's also possible they're being killed by vigilantes and covered up by the government to protect the 'normals' from prosecution." She sighed, "It's not happening quickly and they're covering their tracks well." Her nose wrinkled in frustration.

"What else is going on?" He nodded to her. "You still doing ok? Still seeing that Bobby kid?" Logan never tried to hide his disdain for Bobby before and he didn't now either.

She smiled at the question. "I'm ok. It's hard sometimes. You wouldn't think I would miss voices in my head so much, but I do sometimes." Her eyes lost focus for a moment before she continued, "And I sometimes miss being on the team. Silly, huh?"

"Why aren't you on the team? You still are a good fighter, powers or no." He crossed his arms in front of himself, not happy that she was being excluded.

"My choice." She motioned to the thin scar on her collarbone and the burn scar on her arm. "I was still on the team when I got those. I couldn't protect myself well and I just…didn't have the instincts for it anymore."

Logan grunted, "You always had good instincts. Don't underrate yourself."

"No," she said firmly. "You had good instincts and you helped me. Without you, I couldn't do it." She looked down at her hands, the cause of so many issues within her life.

Logan realized she didn't mean him physical presence, but rather the mental presence in her mind. "I'm sorry. I still think you could do it on your own."

"Maybe I could. But I also realized that people were spending too much of their time protecting me in the field. I'm no hothouse flower and I never wanted to be. I don't want to be a liability," she said fiercely.

Logan couldn't help but smile at that declaration. "Fair enough."

"Damn straight," she huffed. "Anyway, I can do more good out of the field than in it now. So, I am fine, even though I miss it." She shifted, changing topics quickly, "What about you? What made you come back?"

He looked out towards the window, "You, actually." His eyes cut back to her face to see her surprised look. "What? Why are you so surprised about everything? You seemed shocked I came back at all." His tone was almost accusing.

"You walked out with barely a goodbye. A lot had happened. We were reminders of all that." She shrugged, then stood up, annoyance clear on her face. "You don't owe me anything, Logan. I'm not some kid you need to protect anymore. I can take care of myself."

He held out his hands in a surrendering motion, "Calm down, Marie," he said gently.

"I am calm, Logan. I just want to make my position very clear."

"And I hear you, loud and clear." He stood up, putting his arms around her, "I didn't come back because of that, ok? I'm sorry."

Marie closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, calming down and accepting the apology. "I'm sorry, Logan. I'm just…surprised to see you."

"Let's just leave it at that, then. We're both sorry creatures." He grinned down at her and she returned it after a moment.

"I am glad you're back."


	3. III

AN: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. It's a little choppy, but it didn't want to come out any other way. The conversation with Scott was what my original inspiration was for this story.

Thank you for reading, I would really appreciate it if you would drop a review or two my way.

O o o o o o o o o O

The days passed by quickly as Logan was re-assimilated into life at Xavier's mansion. He started teaching a combat tactics class, which he enjoyed. He also began training in the Danger Room with the rest of the team.

It was harder to get used to, fighting as a team again. It was different strategies and following orders. Logan was never a big fan of orders. People seemed to be taking that into account though and the goal was to allow him to do his thing without interfering with their plans.

He had to admit, after his most recent Danger Room session, the kids were growing up and getting good. Even the Iceman kid was really coming into his own. A few times, he caught himself looking for Rogue while in the simulation, then the reality coming back to him that she was up in the control booth with Scott, running the show.

When the training session was over, they went to shower and change and Wolverine's mind growled internally that Scott and Marie had gotten so close. It seemed wrong somehow. Clean and redressed, Wolverine walked out of the locker room and frowned.

He sniffed the air slightly, then followed the scent down the hall. In a doorway, he found Bobby and Kitty in each others' arms and engaged in a fairly passionate kissing session. Anger on Marie's behalf boiled to the surface and he growled loudly, grabbing the attention of the two younger X-Men.

Logan forcibly separated them, growling at Kitty, "Get out of here."

The Iceman tried freezing his hands to make him let go, but Logan was beyond feeling cold. His voice was a snarl, "I should remove your head from your shoulders for going behind Marie's back like that!" He had the kid by his shirt, dangling a few feet off the ground, back against the wall.

Bobby's face which had already gone through the emotions of shock and fear, now showed confusion. "Marie? We…I mean…She knows…"

'_She knows?_' That comment threw Wolverine. He let the boy down a few inches. "That still doesn't make it right." His growl was not as angry as before, but he wasn't ready for Bobby to be let off the hook yet.

"LOGAN!" He heard a familiar voice yell in anger and annoyance. He dropped the ice-cube immediately, who then scrabbled to get away. Logan let him go, because now Marie was coming and she sounded upset.

"Sorry Bobby!" she called to the retreating form of the Iceman. She sighed when she didn't get a response, he just kept running. Then she turned on him angrily. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Logan hesitated a moment. "I caught him messing around with another girl," he said carefully.

"You caught him messing around with his _girlfriend_, bub," Marie said drily, arms crossed over her chest, her anger fading quickly when she figured out what was going on.

Logan stopped to think about it. "You aren't seeing the Ice-Prick anymore?"

Marie shook her head, and now amusement was sneaking into her features. "We broke up over a year ago."

"Oh." Wolverine searched for another justification for Bobby deserving the treatment he just received. "Well, they shouldn't have been carrying on in the halls."

Marie laughed outright now. "That is the lamest excuse I've ever heard from you, Logan." She smiled more gently, "I do appreciate you sticking up for me." Her smile faded, "But don't do it again."

"Can't promise that." Logan shrugged.

"Did you miss that conversation in which I told you I don't need your protection?" Marie said pointedly. His response to that was a glare. "I mean it. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, wasn't saying you can't." She stared him down and finally he just strode away in frustration.

O o o o o o o o O

Marie was lounging on Scott's sofa as she graded papers, trying to keep Logan out of her head.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked. He had been watching her for over an hour and something was clearly bothering her.

She shook her head, "It's nothing."

"Bullshit," he said and stood up and walked over to her, motioning for her to move her feet so he could join her on the couch. "We have spent too much time together for that. Something is bothering you."

"It's just stupid. It's been awkward since Logan came back. He still sees me as a sixteen year old girl who can't take care of herself." Marie sighed and leaned her head against Scott, who put his arm around her in response. "I had to go through this after I first took the cure and now it's like I'm back at square one."

Scott kept his arm tightly around her in a half hug. "I don't think it is that he doesn't trust you. I think he is…we all are…afraid of losing someone we care about." He fell silent at that, clearly thinking about Jean.

She rested in the hug for a moment, "Thank you, Scott." She leaned back and then playfully rubbed the uneven skin of his head to break the tension. "Who would have thought we'd end up here, like this?" She smiled a little.

"I sure as hell didn't. I mean, I wouldn't want to be caught dead with a 'normie'," he said with a smirk.

Marie laughed and threw a pillow at him. "Don't even start with me. I need to get these papers graded before bed!"

Scott held up his hands in surrender and went back to working on his own set of paperwork at his desk.

O o o o o o o o o O

Outside the room, the man known as Wolverine stalked away, feeling angry and betrayed for some reason that he could not immediately determine. He went to the Danger Room to try and work out his anger there.

_His_ Marie. With the asshole Summers. Logan couldn't believe his ears when he had heard them together, like a comfortable married couple. That was just wrong. She was close to _him_, not Scott. Even when she was dating that Bobby kid, he was still the one she could talk to about things.

As Logan let the Wolverine take over, he tried to push Marie out of his head, just ripping and tearing through imaginary enemies as instinct took over for higher thought. His instincts weren't helping him much though, as they were screaming at him that Marie was his and he needed to reassert his claim to her.

He stopped the simulation finally, frowning at what his instincts had been pushing him to do. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "_Fuck_," he said to himself.

He was jealous.

O o o o o o o o o o o O

The next day, Marie woke up early to take a jog before classes. Running was good for her soul, it let her concentrate on her feet hitting the pavement and the world going by, helping to drown out the confusing feelings about Logan.

She had always been attracted to him, who wouldn't have been? The man practically oozed sex appeal. And he had saved her, not just physically, but emotionally. He was the first person since her mutation had emerged to show that she was still a worthwhile person, someone worth caring about.

That would have been enough to form a strong bond and attachment, but then she had absorbed him and his powers, twice. That meant he took up a residence in her head, even when the real Logan was away. Maybe that was why it was easier for her to deal with his earlier absences; in her head, he was always with her. But this last time he left, he was long gone from her brain as well.

She told Logan that she missed the voices sometimes, but to be honest, she really just missed his. That voice was hard for her to let go of, and it hurt to think she could get used to it again from the real Logan, only to have him disappear again in a few months. It would be better to keep her distance, for her own sake.

O o o o o o o o o o o O

Logan was out by the woods, smoking his cigar and finally enjoying a beer at the same time. New York had banned smoking indoors and that killed the enjoyment of bars for him. Someone had put a six-pack in the fridge in the teacher's kitchenette for him. He knew it was Marie – her scent was all over the bottles and the note taped to the case was in her neat handwriting: "For Logan. Others drink at your own risk." She knew him too well.

Jean once told him that Marie was sweet on him. He had brushed it away, his eyes only for Jean and Marie was younger then. But she wasn't anymore, she had matured into a beautiful woman. Though, he had to admit, she was always older than her body, having shared her mind with not only him, but Magneto, Pyro, and a host of others. Just dealing with her mutation was enough to make someone grow up quickly.

He finished his beer and took his last drag on the cigar. Even if he did want her, even if she wanted him, he wasn't sure he was the kind of guy she should have. His mind flashed back to a conversation that he had with Jean.

"_Girls flirt with the dangerous guy, Logan. They don't take him home. They marry the good guy," Jean said, looking at him almost sadly._

"_I could be the good guy," he replied, not sure if it was true, even as he said it._

_She gave him a pointed look and then said simply, "Logan, the good guy sticks around."_

He really wasn't sure if he could be the good guy. Or even if he _wanted_ to be the good guy. He also was sure that Marie deserved a good guy. He didn't want to see her hurt, and it seemed most days, that was what he was real good at when it came to people he cared about. Maybe he couldn't be the good guy, but at least he could make sure one-eye was treating her right.

O o o o o o o o o o O

A few days later, Logan made a point to corner Scott in his office. "I need to talk to you, Slim." His posture was aggressive, potentially hostile.

Scott arched a brow and pointed to a chair opposite his desk. "Should I be worried? I have several items in here I would really like to remain intact," he said mildly.

Wolverine grunted and ignored the proffered chair. "You're the good guy, right?" He said it with accusation, glaring at the deformed man in the red glasses.

"Uh…yes…?" Scott looked around suspiciously, unsure of what kind of question this was. "I try to be."

Logan nodded tersely. "You treat her right?" Again with the death glare.

Scott's posture tensed and his nose flared with the accusation. "I loved her and would _never_ have hurt her." His hand went up to his glasses. He may have had things in his office that were breakable, but he would not stand for Logan insinuating that he didn't treat Jean well.

"Not Jean, Marie." Logan watched him carefully for his response.

"Come again?" Scott's hand dropped from the wire frame of his glasses, looking a little confused, then realization dawned, "You think I'm seeing Marie." He smirked just slightly.

"You're not." He realized from Scott's expression that he was wrong in his interpretation of their behavior towards each other.

Scott still seemed amused, "No, I'm not. You obviously haven't talked to her enough since you came back; she's not been seeing anyone since she and Bobby ended it."

"Yeah, because she's always talking to you!" Logan growled in annoyance. Little shit was gloating that he knew more about Marie.

"Jealous?" Scott said with a laugh, and then groaned when he saw Logan's expression and got serious fast. "Jesus Logan, you are."

Wolverine growled again, "Shut it."

"Isn't she a little young for you?" Scott gave him a disapproving look.

"Isn't everyone?" he retorted. Seeing Scott's confused look he elaborated. "Apparently I age well. Over a century's worth of well." Logan snorted a little in amusement at that fact.

Scott's jaw dropped, "Shit." He looked closely at the other man, "Do you remember all of it now?"

Logan shook his head. "Nah, but I get bits and pieces. I remember though that I fought in the Civil War." He was pleased at the look of shock on Cyclops' face.

The shock had not moved from Scott's face, "The American Civil War." Logan nodded in confirmation. "That's…incredible."

"Yeah, I'm a wonder of human evolution," he said with sarcasm dripping from his words.

That brought Scott out of his shocked state and he returned to looking at Logan carefully. "Leave Marie alone."

Logan bristled at that command, "What right do you have to say that?"

"I'm her friend, jackass. It's just about winning and dominance with you. And you are only interested in her because you thought she was with me. Just like you didn't really care about Jea - " The name died in his throat as there was suddenly a claw pressing right against his jugular, with Wolverine now crouched on his desk.

"I would not finish that sentence if I was you, _bub_." His words dripped with anger and hurt.

"What in the _hell_ is going on here?" Both men simultaneously looked to the doorway to see Marie glaring at them both, hands on her hips.

Logan immediately retracted his claws and got off Scott's desk. "Nothin'. Just a little misunderstanding." He glared at Scott, daring him to contradict.

Scott gave Logan a hard look, "Yes, Logan was confused about some things, I was just straightening him out."

Logan growled at Scott again, causing Marie to step in front of the large man, placing her hands on his chest. "Logan, back off. And Scott," she said over her shoulder, "Stop provoking him."

"Fine," Logan muttered and stalked off. Scott's words had struck him deeply, not only about Jean, but about Marie and only being interested in winning. He needed time alone to think about it.

O o o o o o o o o o O

"You want to clue me in as to what that was about, sugar?" Marie looked at Scott expectantly, her accent more pronounced when she was upset.

Scott debated what to tell her, and decided the truth was the best policy, "He thought you and I were seeing each other and was trying to play protector."

"Jerk," they said in unison, and laughed.

"I told him I didn't need or want him being my big brother." Marie sighed in frustration. "That man does not listen."

Scott regarded Marie carefully, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"Yeah, because that worked out so well for you today." She rolled her eyes. "It's just the way he is. I guess I don't really expect him to change." She shrugged and let a smile creep on her face.

He had watched her reaction carefully and it confirmed what he already suspected; she still held onto her crush on Logan. "_This is not going to end well,_" he thought to himself with a sigh.


	4. IV

This chapter came more easily than I thought it would.

Thanks to those who have reviewed, hopefully others will follow your example. And please feel free to review again, I do love to get those notifications, as I'm sure you all know!

O o o o o o o o o O

"What do you mean, he left?" Marie asked in shock. She was sitting with the other teachers and X-Men at the dinner table when Storm mentioned that Logan had taken off the day prior. She hadn't seen him, but she hadn't thought anything of it, they were both busy people, and the mansion was a big place.

Storm's tone was gentle, "You know how Wolverine is. He just took Scott's bike and went off."

"I think it's fair enough to call it Wolverine's bike now," Scott said drily, then regretted it instantly when he saw the look on Marie's face.

Marie frowned and stood up abruptly, "But…He just left?" She looked at Scott for help on this concept and saw only sympathy in his eyes. She backed away from the table, shaking her head.

"Marie, are you ok?" Storm asked with concern. Scott placed a hand on Ororo's arm and shook his head just barely, asking her to leave Marie alone.

Marie walked away from the group, the expression on her face of such deep confusion and hurt. She barely knew where she was walking, she just needed to walk. "_He just came back,_" she thought to herself.

She knew Logan liked to leave and be on his own, but, "He just came back," she said quietly to herself. He didn't even say goodbye this time. He had even said goodbye to her after Jean's death.

None of this made sense to her, and the pain she felt in her chest was sharper than the memory of his claws in her chest, once upon a time. She found herself in the same position she had been that fateful night, standing in his room, next to his bed. The room looked empty, but he also had just come back, it wasn't like he had redecorated anything.

She finally sat down on his bed and put her head in her hands and cried.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Scott, for his part, was furious. He knew this was going to happen; the only thing that surprised him was how quickly. Logan couldn't even swing it a full month in the mansion before running out, and from the hurt and confused expression on Marie's face, it didn't take a telepath to know that he hadn't told her of any of his plans.

"Bastard," he muttered under his breath. He knew Logan was only going to hurt Marie and it pissed him off how easily it was done. Was it really that much to ask for Logan to have told her that he was taking off again? He had to have known how attached Marie was to him.

He knocked gently at Marie's door, receiving only silence in response. Scott thought a moment then walked down the hall to Logan's room, hearing quiet cries from inside. He decided to forgo knocking this time and just walked in.

His heart broke a little when he saw Marie sitting on Wolverine's bed and crying. She looked up at him with watery eyes and said, "I'm an idiot."

Scott quickly sat down next to her, putting his arms around her, "You are not an idiot. Ok, you are a little, but he's a much bigger one, alright?" The joke did not crack a smile from the younger woman. He wanted to say the words that would make the pain go away and make things right, but he knew no one had those words.

He held her for a while, finally leaning back against the headboard and making themselves comfortable. "I'm sorry, Marie."

She sighed, the tears having stopped finally, "I knew it was stupid. I mean, what kind of man chases after another man's fiancée?" she asked rhetorically. "Or is so anti-attachment, he refuses to even accept a family?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. Internally though, he could almost accept Logan's pining for Jean. She was so amazing, so full of love and life…A few tears starting slipping down his own cheeks at the images he conjured. He didn't know why every man in the world hadn't been pounding down her door. Yet, she picked him. His mind flashed back to a scene between him and Logan.

"_She did make a choice, Scott. It was you." Wolverine's voice was full of anguish as he admitted that, but the words meant so much to the grieving man._

He shook himself out of the memory, trying to concentrate on the issue at hand. "You are a wonderful woman, Marie." He stroked her hair as he spoke quietly. "He's just a very broken man." Those words were definitely true, but he had to admit he didn't excuse Logan for that; they were all broken in their own ways, including Marie.

She sighed, resting her head on his chest, "Aren't we all," her thoughts echoed his own.

He just held her, the letting her doze against his chest while he internally plotted how to kill the unbreakable man.

O o o o o o o o O

"_Logan!"_ The professor's voice in his head was shocked.

Wolverine growled quietly, "Is something wrong?" He spoke out loud, knowing that anyone who saw him speaking would know exactly what he was doing. He was just pulling into the garage with Scott's bike, cigar clamped tightly in his teeth.

"_No. I am just surprised you are back. We thought you had gone."_

Wolverine snorted, the psychic was surprised. "I had to go do something. Do I have to leave an itinerary?" he said in annoyance. He had just returned to the mansion, why would he run off so quickly? Plus, he hadn't told Marie he was leaving, so that should have clued people in that he was just on a quick trip.

Charles's voice came to him again, now concerned. _"Perhaps you should go speak to Marie."_

Logan frowned, his steps lengthening to speed his pace. He hadn't really meant for anyone to know he had gone; he just needed a day of quiet without the possibility of his mind being read to think about what Scott had said.

O o o o o o o o o O

_Logan sat astride the motorcycle that had become his through the years, feeling the wind on his face as he pushed it to go faster and faster. Scott had made a good point, damn it. It wouldn't be right if he was only interested in her because she was not his. _

_Every mile that passed, he thought about it, thought about what drew him to her. She was a beautiful woman, but there were lots of beautiful women in the world. Her kindness was something completely foreign to him and had taught him how it felt again to care about someone other than himself. _

_He knew how hard it was for her when her parents had rejected her after her mutation manifested. He also knew how hard it was for her to come back to the mansion after taking the cure, knowing that most of the people there wouldn't understand and would be upset by her choice._

_She was so powerful and independent, but yet there was a vulnerable streak that ran deep in her soul. He loved that she would stand up for herself and make her own decisions, no matter what other people thought, and yet he knew she could be hurt so easily and he wanted to protect that soft spot and keep it from the world that could be so harsh._

_Of course, he was harsh himself, he had to admit. He feared attachment and commitment, as they had only brought pain and death to those he cared about. But she even understood about that. She knew him better than he knew himself some days, he had to admit. _

_She had told him that when she absorbed people, they stayed in her head and spoke to her. He knew from how she said it that his voice was a loud one. The way she so often knew what he was thinking, how he was feeling, without him having to say a word. _

_He realized that must have been why it was so hard for him when he left after Alcatraz. She no longer had the voices in her head; she no longer had _him_ in her head. Even with his fucked-up psyche, deep-seated issues, and his desire for another woman, she had understood him and cared for him. That wasn't something a person could find every day, even when they lived for over a hundred years._

_Before he could even make the conscious decision, he was heading back to the mansion, at least sure that what was going on inside him wasn't because he only wanted what Scott had._

O o o o o o o o O

He scented the air to find her quickly, surprised when this led him past her room. He frowned when he smelled the not-right scent of Scott as well. He had realized that Scott smelled wrong because of the skin grafts and that wrongness irritated some primal part of his brain.

"Logan!" Storm looked at him as he strode by, shock evident on her face.

He grunted as he passed her, the beast in him in full-on tracking mode.

His surprised led to shock when he realized that Marie's scent was leading to his own room. He opened the door and saw Scott holding a sleeping Marie on _his_ bed. She was curled up next to Cyclops, tearstains running down her cheeks. A dangerous growl formed deep in his chest.

Scott immediately noted Wolverine's presence, not bothering to disguise his unhappiness, "Get out of here before she wakes up," he whispered harshly.

"Get out of my bed," Logan responded, keeping his voice down though, not wanting to disturb Marie yet.

Scott gave him a hard look, "You left; it's not your bed."

In response, Wolverine's claws came out with a soft 'snikt'. His jaw clenched tightly. "I said, get out." His voice and growl were louder now, and Marie stirred from Scott's chest.

"Logan?" She asked, confused both at seeing him when she had just been mourning his leaving, and seeing him with his claws out and looking like he was ready to kill.

"Sorry for waking you, darlin', but I need to talk to you, and I really don't want to do it with you and Scooter snuggling in my bed." He made a conscious effort to reduce the hostility in his tone, to try and not upset Marie.

"What?" She realized what Logan meant and sat up, still confused about what exactly was going on, but unconsciously scooting away from Scott. "We weren't…"

He interrupted her in a suddenly quiet voice, "I know. You don't need to explain." And he did know. Scott was the good guy. He was the one comforting Marie when she thought he had left. As much as he hated to admit it, he was glad someone had been able to. He also vowed silently that it wouldn't be necessary again.

Scott was shocked on several levels himself. He had been sure that Wolverine had walked out again, yet here he was, barely a day later. And the way he was talking to Marie was so very unlike him. He stood up fluidly, glaring at Logan, "You didn't leave?"

"Of course not. My stuff's still here, and I didn't tell Marie I was leaving." He motioned his head to his closet, his voice dark and unhappy.

Scott admitted to himself that it wasn't exactly like they had done a thorough search of Logan's room, they had just assumed. "Fine." He passed by Wolverine, knocking into his shoulder purposefully, "I hope you know what you're doing." The words held more than a hint of threat.

"I don't, but I'm doing it anyway," Logan muttered, his eyes still on Marie.

Scott's jaw just tightened in frustration, wanting to protect his friend, but knowing there was nothing he could do to stop this. And so, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving Logan and Marie to talk.


	5. V

AN: I decided this should be a chapter by itself. I am actually pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I may end this story soon, just to have it be officially done, and then consider having sequels in the same universe.

Please please review. Feedback makes me glow and write faster, but I refuse to hold fic ransom to demand reviews. So please, give me a comment or two.

O o o o o o o o O

"Scott and I are just friends," Marie began, still seeming nervous as she watched Scott walk out. Logan realized his claws were still out and retracted them quickly. She was confused internally though about the denial and why she felt the need to make one. It's not like Logan had any stake whether she was with Scott or not, but she still felt the need to deny it when he had burst in on them. Of course, they had been lying in the other man's bed, and it is typically considered rude to screw around in other peoples' rooms in general.

"Yeah, I know. He told me earlier." Logan started to walk across the room, not sure exactly how to go about this conversation. "Still doesn't mean I like seeing you in his arms, especially in my bed." It took a measure of willpower to not glare at her for that. But that would be counterproductive and he struggled to keep himself under control.

Marie just sat there, frozen. It had really seemed like he was insinuating something there, but she was afraid to read too much into it. Emotionally, she was exhausted and on top of it all, she was supremely embarrassed that he had found her in his room, mooning over him.

He paused; this was not a pleasant thing for him. He didn't like talking about things if he could help it, and it was worse that he felt like he had no privacy due to the potent telepath that lived in the mansion. He concentrated hard and thought as loudly as he could, "_Chuck, I don't know if you've been listening or checking in on Marie. But I'd like some time _alone_ to talk to her._"

"Are you alright?" She watched him; he was clearly concentrating deeply on something. She saw him relax then with a nod that did not feel like it was directed towards her.

"Yeah. Just trying to get a little privacy in this nuthouse," he grumbled. "Everyone's always into your business."

Marie shrugged, "Well, we're family." She was trying to stay very neutral until she could determine exactly what was going on and where he was going with it.

"But they don't have to know every single detail of your life," he snapped, more harshly than intended.

Marie looked down at her hands, assuming he was referring to her being upset at not knowing where he was. "I'm sorry, Logan," she whispered, quietly moving to get up and flee the situation.

"Damn it, Marie, that's not what I meant! Sit back down." This was not going well so far, even by his standards. Obediently, she sat back down on his bed, hugging her knees to her chest.

He took a deep breath, again working on curbing his frustration and not sounding so pissed off, "I meant, I didn't want the Professor snooping around in here while we were talking."

"Oh." A puzzled look crossed her face, her eyes searching his, trying to determine what was such a big deal that he didn't want witnesses. Unable to figure it out, she sighed, "Can you just get it over with, because I'm pretty much dying of embarrassment right now and would really like to go back to my room."

Logan walked over and sat down on the bed near her. "Don't be embarrassed, ok? I have a habit of running off and I kind of like that you would be upset if I ran off without a word."

Marie's breath caught in her throat, "_Did he just say that he liked it when I pined over him?_" she thought incredulously. "Well, I'm glad I'm good for an ego boost," she said angrily, moving again to get out of his room.

"Will you stop being so fuckin' hard-headed and stubborn for a moment and listen to what I'm saying?" Logan growled and grabbed her wrist, always careful to not exert too much force.

"What are you saying, Logan? 'Cause honestly I don't have a clue right now and I - " Her words stopped when he put his hand on her cheek, turning her face towards him and kissing her.

It was tentative for Wolverine's standards, but he wasn't positive that she was going to respond and he didn't want to be too aggressive. He broke it quickly, she hadn't moved under his mouth and he took that as a very clear sign.

"What was that?" she asked in a dazed voice. He gave her a dark look in response. Her expression was unreadable and it was very frustrating to him.

"Now we're both embarrassed, so we're even," he muttered, getting up from the bed.

"That was about making us even?" Her tone was horrified.

He turned to glare at her, "Jesus, are you absolutely determined to take everything I do in the worst possible way? No, it wasn't about making us even, it was about me kissing you!"

"Oh." She said, frowning lightly. Internally, she felt like someone had just shot her up with some drug, because her head felt all light and woozy and she was feeling very disconnected from this whole conversation suddenly. "Could you try that again, then?"

He turned to look at her again, a rakish grin hiding the relief he felt. "I think I could be persuaded to do that." He moved back over to her side, kissing her again, more firmly this time, pleased to see that she was responding the way he wanted her to.

Logan stopped himself reluctantly, struggling with the decision when Marie leaned in, resisting the separation. "Hold on." She looked at him in confusion when he pulled away.

"What? Am I doing something wrong?" she said hesitantly.

He groaned softly, "God, no. You're…Perfect. But." Logan couldn't believe he was actually holding off in order to have a conversation. His baser instincts were screaming at him to screw talking and get to screwing. He didn't want to mess this up too badly though. "We gotta lay some ground rules."

"Rules? What do you mean, rules?" She was suspicious. It wasn't like they had to be careful of her mutation and she was definitely over eighteen now.

"I mean, I'm not doing this lightly, and I want you to understand that." He gave her such an intense look she shuddered, nodding for him to continue. "Ok. This doesn't mean I'm never going to leave." He saw her tense and try to hide her emotion at that statement. "But, I'll always tell you when I'm leaving, and I'll do everything in my power to come back." He watched her carefully as he asked, "Can you handle that?"

She nodded with a slight smile, "Yeah, I can handle that."

"And watch the cuddling with Scooter. He smells like shit to me." He frowned in what Marie felt was a very cute fashion, though most would think that it was fairly threatening.

She laughed, "Ok."

"And never again in our bed," he said pointedly.

Marie swallowed, blush coming to her cheeks as she bit her lip and nodded.

"Not even when I'm gone. _Especially_ not when I'm gone." He growled menacingly.

Impulsively she leaned forward and kissed him lightly again, "I get it. Move on." There was a happy smile playing at her lips.

"I'm older than you." She gave him a look of 'duh', but he continued, "A lot older than you think." She arched a brow at him. "A _lot_. We'll have to deal with that, eventually, because I ain't getting any older." He reached out a hand to touch her cheek, her eyes closing as he made contact. "I want you to be sure, and know I don't do things half-assed."

Marie spoke softly, "I understand, and I am sure, as long as you can abide _my_ rules." A look of surprised amusement came across his face. "First, I need to know that you aren't just settling for me, or doing this to spite Scott." He met her eyes as she spoke, his face now serious again. "I am a fine catch and I won't be anyone's consolation prize, not even yours." She spoke with a fierceness that Logan could appreciate.

He took her hand. "That's why I was off thinking. I don't want to hurt you and I don't want a replacement for Jean. Damn straight you are no consolation prize."

She had to restrain herself when he said that, trying to focus and continue, "You need to lay off Scott too." Logan seemed to be struggling with an expression. "He and I are friends. And he's been through hell too."

Finally Logan let a smirk free, "I'll tell you a secret. I don't hate one-eye. I just think it's fun to rile him up. I even kind of like him, some days."

She smiled, "As I suspected. Riling is fine." She reached out a hand to pick at his shirt. "No other women." Her voice was quiet, but firm.

"No other women. I told you, I don't do this half-assed." His hands snaked towards her body, really not wanting to hold himself back much longer. "Same goes for you."

She moved forward, now taking the initiative to kiss him, "Alright, sugar. No other women," she said with a wicked grin

He growled, "Are we done talking for now?" She nodded seductively as he finally allowed himself to do what he had been wanting to do from the moment he saw her in his bed.


	6. VI

AN: This is a long one – I wanted all the reactions to be kept in one chapter. I think actually this is the end of this story, I might split it into a sequel. Let me know in a review which you prefer – continuing in this story or starting a sequel?

This chapter was more difficult to write, I wanted to try and keep everyone's reactions very in line to how I see them and it was hard to figure out just what those would be.

Thanks for the continued reviews and reads, I appreciate every one, really.

O o o o o o o o o o o O

Marie was laying with her head on Logan's bare chest, listening to his heart beat. She couldn't believe this had actually happened. Logan. Her. Bed. Naked. Those were words she never had truly expected to string together in one sentence.

She had dreamt of this occurring, but it actually happening was just so surreal. It wasn't exactly how she had dreamed it, but not in a bad way. She had always imagined that it would be rough, animalistic, and hot. Not to say that any sex with Logan wasn't hot, but it was different than what she expected from him.

He hadn't ripped off her clothes, thrown her down on the bed and fucked her madly; he had slowly undressed her, treating her reverently. They had actually seemed to be making love, not just fucking. That was exhilarating, and a little scary.

She couldn't help it, a few tears slipped out from underneath her lids as she lay in his arms. It just was so overwhelming and part of her was terrified that it wasn't real. She took a deep breath and kissed his chest lightly.

Logan felt the tears as soon as they hit his skin and he looked down at Marie suddenly, with concern. "You ok? Did I hurt you? What's wrong?" His voice was low and worried as he searched for her face, brushing her hair out of the way.

She shook her head quickly. "Sorry. I'm just happy," she said through a slightly damp smile.

He didn't seem to buy it. "You gotta tell me if I'm too rough or something," his voice was gruff as he spoke.

She met his eyes with hers. "I promise, it's not that." She gave a little smirk and wink, "You can actually be a little more rough, I'm not gonna break."

Logan leaned over and kissed her fiercely at that, finally breaking to bury his face in her hair. "You smell so good." He pulled away reluctantly, tracing her collarbone with his fingers. "We got a few other things to talk about."

Marie's stomach dropped. Part of her was expecting that when they were done, he was going to change his mind. "Alright," she said with a resigned sigh.

"Would you quit that?" He said with frustration. "First thing you gotta do is not assume every time I try and talk to you, it's something bad, alright?" She looked away, abashed that she was so easy to read. "Ok. Sleeping arrangements. I want you next to me at night," he said firmly. "But, you can't borrow my healing anymore, and I'm worried about your safety."

As clear as day, he could see her in his mind's eye, standing above his bed, his claws buried deep in her chest as she gasped pitifully and he called fruitlessly for help. Nightmares could be dangerous if you had metal knives that could pop out at any moment. That image itself was a frequent nightmare for him, the thought that he could accidentally kill her.

"I'm not." She smiled softly. "You wouldn't hurt me."

"I have before!" He said, angry at himself, not her. At least this time she recognized where the anger was directed.

"And do you think you'd like to relive that sensation?" She said calmly.

He growled softly, "Of course not! Are you crazy? It almost killed me the first time I did it."

Another smile, "Then you won't do it again. I think the animal instincts in you would avoid that experience again, whether you are asleep or not. Plus," she said, kissing him again, "I want to sleep next to you. It's worth the risk."

"Chuck should examine your head," he muttered.

"Speaking of the Professor," she said hesitantly, "You know it's nearly impossible to keep a secret here."

"You think I want to keep this a secret? I'm a private man, but I am not ashamed of this." He looked into her eyes as he spoke. "And I told you, I don't plan on this being some fling."

She bit her lip nervously, "Neither do I. I just was worried people might talk."

"Let 'em talk. Doesn't change a thing." He smirked, "You're twenty and can make your own decisions legally. Plus, I'd say if you add in the time other people, including me, have spent in your head, you're the woman who is closest to my age than any of them around here."

She smiled, she hadn't really been worried about the age difference between them, but she was a little concerned about the reactions of others and how that would affect Logan. Apparently he wasn't going to let that bother him. "Alright, back to sleeping," she said. "Which room?" This part of the conversation tickled her. She was laying in bed with Logan, discussing sleeping arrangements. She couldn't help the grin on her face.

"You've got more stuff than me. After tonight, I think yours would be better." He held her tighter, his hands starting to roam with minds of their own. He didn't really want to move from this position tonight unless it involved the both of them moving in rhythm.

"Alright." She started kissing down his chest, clearly having similar thoughts as him.

He groaned in pleasure as she continued and explored his body with her hands as well. "One last thing. You have to accept the fact I'm going to be protective of you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm going to worry about you. Deal with it."

She slid her body up to kiss his mouth, "Fine. But know while you are gone, I'm going to worry about you. And I'll be protective of you too."

"Fair enough," he said with a smirk, finally giving into temptation and abandoning the talking for a while again.

O o o o o o o o o o O

The next morning, Marie woke up with the wonderful sensation of being in Logan's arms. Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, attempting to get out of bed. A firm hand on her hip stopped her.

"Where you going?" His eyes were still closed as he spoke.

She leaned over and kissed his lips. "I gotta get ready for class, and so do you. I'll see you later?" She looked at him questioningly.

He opened his eyes to meet hers. "You better." He reached out to her hand and kissed her fingertips. "I'll come by your room, later." She nodded with a grin, finishing putting on her clothes from yesterday and exiting the room.

Marie hadn't gotten two steps before she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Did you sleep in his room?" Jubilee. Her voice was sympathetic.

"_Great,_" she thought, "_As if keeping things quiet wasn't difficult enough with a telepath in the house._" "Hey Jubes. Yeah. I did." She wasn't sure how to bring up the fact that Logan was in there with her, so she just left that fact out.

"Shit girl, you have got to get over him. You have been in love with him for way too long." Jubilee was trying to be supportive, Marie could tell, but she really just wanted the younger woman to hush her mouth. She was sure that Logan could hear every word being said and she wasn't quite ready to spill just how she felt.

Marie muttered, "It's ok." She tried to keep moving towards her room, the hall now seeming interminably long.

Jubilee put her arm around Marie as they walked, "Don't worry. I'm going on a date with Colossus, and I have it all set up for you to go out with Angel." Jubilee winked suggestively.

Marie could have sworn she heard a growl coming through the walls as they finally reached her door. "Uh, I don't think that's a good idea, Jubes."

"Come on, you _have_ to." Jubilee said imploringly. "I've already got it set up." She followed Marie into her room. "It'll be fun, I promise. Angel is totally hot."

"I can't," she said firmly. "I'm sorry, you'll have to find someone else." She was apologetic and moved around her room, idly picking up a few things, knowing that Logan really didn't care that much, but her southern pride said to tidy.

"Fine," she huffed. "But you have to accept that it's never going to happen with Logan and move on. I'm telling you this as a friend."

Marie could hear that Jubilee was trying to be a good friend and watch out for her, but the whole conversation was absurd. "I know. I appreciate the concern, but I'm ok. Have fun with Colossus." She gently pushed Jubilee out of the door so she could shower, while sincerely hoping that Logan hadn't been eavesdropping on the whole conversation.

O o o o o o o o O

Marie was finishing putting on her makeup when the door opened again. This time it was Logan and he was trying to not smirk at her as he set his duffel down by her closet. "Going out with Jubilee tonight?"

"I thought we agreed, no other women?" She said, looking at him over her shoulder through the mirror.

Now the smirk was not even trying to hide on his face. "Suppose we did."

She turned around and faced him, "Did you listen to our whole conversation?"

"Yeah." He walked over to her, taking her into his arms. "Thanks for not giving up, and sorry I made you wait so long." Logan leaned down to kiss her. "Hurry up or I'm not going to let you leave this room."

Marie gave him a peck on the lips. "Thank you for coming to your senses." With a smile, she walked out of the room to get to her class.

O o o o o o o o O

It seemed like it took forever to get to lunchtime. Marie tried to keep her mind on her work as she went through the painfully slow morning. She wanted to talk to someone about it so badly, but no one seemed appropriate. Logan was never the best topic of conversation with Scott. Telling Jubilee, she might as well take out an ad in the paper. And though she wasn't upset about Kitty and Bobby being together, they just hadn't been as close lately.

As she put away her things prior to heading to the kitchen, she had an idea. She grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water, and headed out of the mansion.

Marie walked down the steps into the sunshine, smiling. It felt good to be outside. She walked towards the back of the mansion, to their small graveyard. She sat herself down in front of the tombstone of Jean Grey, the only marker out there since Scott and Xavier had both been found alive.

"Hey Jean," Marie began as she took out her sandwich, munching silently. "I know we weren't really close when you were alive, especially seeing as I was so jealous of you I could barely see straight."

She took a sip of water before continuing. "But somehow, it just seemed right that you be the 'first to know', or something. I mean, everyone knew I had a thing for Logan, and he had a thing for you, and you had a thing for Scott, though I can't imagine you didn't have even a little thing for Logan. I mean, look at him." She sighed happily, the phrase bringing images to her head from the night before when she finally got to look at him fully.

"Anyway, I'm sure you know Scott and I are good friends now. He's still in love with you, by the way. I don't know if he'll ever get over you. He misses you every single day. But Logan…" She shrugged. "He finally realized I grew up. And maybe he grew up a little too.

"I don't think he's trying to replace you, I think we just have to share his heart." She took another bite of her sandwich. "It definitely could be worse. You were beautiful, smart, powerful; I really don't think I'm in the same ballpark as you. But he seems sincere. And I want to believe him so much.

"I don't know. I just wanted to talk to someone who couldn't go blabbing around to everyone else. The voices in my head, Logan's voice, used to provide that. But I'm alone now and trying to get used to it."

She ate more of her sandwich, then said quietly, "I hope that if you were around, you'd be happy for us. I think you would have been, and I'm real happy right now. Logan and the ability to touch him. What more could I ask for, really?" With a smile, she finished her sandwich, touched Jean's headstone gently and said, "Thanks for the talk." She got up and walked back into the mansion to get ready for her next class.

O o o o o o o o o O

When Logan headed to find something to eat, later on that afternoon, he saw Scott waiting for him at the counter. "You need something, Slim?" Scott just continued to watch in stony silence. Finally, Wolverine growled, "It's not your girl this time, so back off."

"I care about Marie," Scott said in a low voice. "I don't want to see her hurt."

"Neither do I," Logan spoke in a low and dangerous voice. "She's a big girl and she can make her own decisions, so don't try and make them for her."

Scott leaned forward on his hands to glare at Wolverine. "I'm not, but I want you to understand what the consequences will be for breaking that girl's heart."

Wolverine slammed his hand down on the counter angrily, "Give it a rest, Summers. Hurting Marie is the last thing I want to do and so you need to get over yourself. You are not the only one who loves her, ok?"

The angry speech by Logan shut Scott up fast. He might have been underestimating the bestial man. "Fine," he said, and then his voice softened, "Take good care of her, Logan."

Logan grunted an affirmative and walked out of the room.

O o o o o o o o O

Storm sat with the new Charles Xavier in his office. "So, Logan is back," she said mildly.

Charles was slightly amused, "I don't believe he intended to leave the other day. Apparently he had 'errands' to run." He knew now why Logan had left, but was being respectful of Logan's desire for privacy.

"I'm concerned about Marie. She has such an attachment to Logan and does not handle it well when he disappears. She's gone through so much in such a short period of time." Ororo was clearly fond of the former mutant.

"I understand, Storm," a smile crossing his lips. "But it's out of our control. It is her life, and she likes it that way." Everything he was saying was true, hoping to show Ororo that she didn't need to get involved.

Ororo for her part was annoyed that the Professor didn't seem more concerned about Marie. "I understand that, Charles. But you didn't see her yesterday when we thought Logan had left."

"She's feeling better today, I'm fairly certain," he said calmly. He was trying actively to avoid the minds of both Logan and Marie since Logan had requested privacy the night before. Their thoughts were strong at times which made it impossible to avoid hearing, no matter how much he avoided it. It was a large drawback to being a powerful telepath, knowing entirely too much about everyone around.

Storm sighed. "I may talk to Logan. He can be rather oblivious to these issues, and perhaps if he were aware, he could be more considerate. I know he cares about her."

Xavier couldn't help but chuckle, "I do not think that will be necessary, Storm."

She crossed her arms in front of her, realizing that clearly Charles knew something she didn't, but wasn't ready to share the information with her. "We'll see." She still thought speaking to Logan might be a good idea.

O o o o o o o o o O

Ororo made a point of stopping by the gym where Logan was teaching later that afternoon. She watched as the children used their hand to hand skills and mutations in combination with approval. Logan was good at teaching these things and the younger mutants needed to know how to defend themselves and others.

She caught his eye and he spoke to the class gruffly, "Keep working, I'll be back." He walked over to the weather witch and said "What's up?"

"I was speaking to Charles earlier," she began. "And I'm concerned about Marie."

He arched a brow. "Really. Chuck sent you to talk to me about her?" He turned slightly hostile. "It's none of your or Chuck's business, honestly."

Storm furrowed her brow slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that she is an adult and it is her life. We're not looking for your seal of approval, so mind your own damn business." He turned and walked back to his class, clearly pissed off.

She stood there for a moment, processing his words, combining them with Charles' words from earlier and her eyes widened. Everything fell into place and made sense and she stared at Logan for a moment, who was still refusing to look her way. She blinked and then walked away, not sure yet what to make of the situation.

O o o o o o o o o o o O

At the end of the school day, Scott swung by Marie's classroom. She was cleaning up, all the students gone for the day. She had a contented smile on her face as she packed up her stuff, the smile growing larger when she saw Scott in the doorway. "Hey Scott!"

He smiled gently in return. As much as he wanted to be upset about the whole situation, she was happy and she hadn't had a lot of happiness in her life and definitely deserved some. Hell, all of them at the school had, by and large, a lot of bad shit in their lives, and he couldn't blame anyone for trying to grab some happiness while they could. "Doing better I see."

She blushed. "Yeah. Thanks for last night. I know it is weird for you."

"You don't have to explain to me." He shrugged and sat down at one of the desks. "And as much as I hate to say this, you could do worse. It'd be tough, but possible." A slight smirk appeared.

"Thanks," she said drily, with a grin. "We talked last night. Got things settled."

Scott snorted in disbelief, "Logan talked?"

Marie blushed a bit, knowing that talking wasn't all they did. "He wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into. Which I do," she said pointedly. "Does no one except me remember I lived with him in my head for a few years?"

"I know, I know." Scott shook his head. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Marie tapped her index on her chin in a thoughtful fashion, "How about you give him a break about it now, and if he hurts me, you can kick his ass?" She smiled slyly.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Deal." They embraced, Marie feeling much more relieved that Scott wasn't going to be acting pissy about the situation.

O o o o o o o o O

When Marie finally got back to her room, Logan was there, clearly waiting for her. "So, how many people interrogated you?" he asked, good-naturedly.

"Only Scott. Two if you count Jubilee." She grinned mischievously. "How about you?"

"Scott and Ororo. Though apparently she was talking about it with Chuck." He grunted in approval as she walked over and settled into his arms. "You ok?" he asked, looking down at her face, cupping her face in his hand.

She smiled at him and nodded, "Yes. You?" He responded to her with a kiss. She sighed happily as they moved to her bed, this was going to work out, she could feel it.


	7. VII

AN: I decided to keep it as one story, for ease of knowing continuity and fear of losing readers!

Thanks again for the reviews and encouragement.

O o o o o o o O

It hadn't stayed quiet for very long. They hadn't tried to hide, but Marie was still surprised at just how quickly word spread around the mansion. Jubilee saw Logan going into their room and that was that. Once all the initial odd looks and questions were over, they settled into a nice routine.

When Logan left for the first time after he and Marie got together, people were walking on eggshells for a while around her, expecting that she was putting on a brave face and was going to lose it at any moment. The odd thing was that she wasn't. She really was ok with him taking off. He had followed the rules; he had talked to her about it before he left, he promised to come back and she knew there wouldn't be other women. In her mind, it was no different than people who were involved in the military or other career that required travel.

She tried to appreciate the time that he was gone as well, go out and do things that she may not have wanted to do when he was there, like sappy chick flicks with the girls. She painted the walls of their room, knowing the paint smell would have driven him crazy were he there. But it just seemed wrong that every night Logan was going to bed in a room with lavender colored walls. The taupe she had chosen instead seemed much more appropriate.

He was only gone for three months, a short time period as Logan goes. When he came back, if anyone didn't know about the two of them beforehand, they did afterwards. She had met him at the door and had grabbed her by the waist and made a beeline to their bedroom.

O o o o o o o O

"This was your secret trick for making sure I didn't go away too long, wasn't it?" he later smirked.

Marie batted her eyelashes innocently, "Moi?" She ran her fingers up and down his chest.

Logan grumbled good-naturedly, "I got addicted to touching you all the time. Don't like to go too long without it."

"I know how you feel," she said with a happy smile. "Welcome home."

Logan thought about it and realized she was right, not because the mansion was his home, but that she was. Wherever Marie was, he wanted to go back to. He kissed her. "Thank you, darlin'." The idea of having a home wasn't such a crazy thought for him anymore, he liked it.

She smiled and nodded as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

O o o o o o o o o O

The next morning, Marie awoke before Logan, which was unusual, but she chalked it up to whatever he had been doing before he returned, coupled with what they had done upon his return. She slipped out of bed and into the shower to get ready for her day.

When she got to the kitchen, she greeted Jubilee and Kitty with a wide smile. "Morning, ladies." They both grinned at her in response.

"I heard Logan was back," Jubilee said slyly, looking at Kitty.

Kitty nodded with a wink. "I think everyone heard that Logan was back." Marie blushed and rolled her eyes as she reached for the last banana in the fruit bowl. Kitty had gotten there a split second ahead of her and grabbed it. She laughed and said, "You snooze, you lose."

Suddenly, Marie heard a growling in her head and she instinctively turned to the doorway to chastise Logan at ruining the good fun, until she realized it was her growling and both girls were staring at her.

"You've been spending too much time with Logan. You're starting to sound like him." Jubilee broke the tension with the joke and they all chuckled.

"I suppose you're right. I didn't even realize I was doing it." She grinned sheepishly. "He's a bad influence I guess."

Scott chose that moment to walk in the door and she greeted him with a cool nod. "Hey Scooter." That short phrase caused everyone to freeze. Marie never called Scott by Logan's nicknames. Well, except when… Marie got a look of sudden fear in her eyes and mumbled an apology before darting out of the kitchen.

O o o o o o o o o O

"Logan! Logan!" She was trying to keep herself from screaming and panicking as she ran through the door of her room, but she was holding on by a thread.

"Mrhmph. What?" he asked drowsily, struggling to wake up more as he saw the abject fear in Marie's eyes. He was definitely concerned with feeling so lethargic and his eyes immediately went to scan for threats as he tried to stand up and reached for Marie.

"NO!" she shrieked and nearly fell as she backed away from him. "Don't touch me!" She was starting to hyperventilate as she moved to the furthest wall from him, having severe flashbacks to right before she left home.

"_Calm down, Marie. It's alright, I'll be there in a moment._" The professor's serene voice was in her head but she was no longer entirely in her room at the mansion. She was in her room in Meridian, cowering in a corner as the first boy she ever kissed convulsed on her bed.

"Any time now, Chuck." Logan paced the floor in front of Marie, not making an attempt to get closer at this point, because it was just upsetting her more. But he was upset. He still felt sluggish and foggy and Xavier had not explained exactly what was going on, just that he would be there soon. He crouched near the end of the bed, trying to speak calmly to her, but all she would do is sob.

After what seemed like an unbearable length of time, their door opened and Storm and the Professor walked in. Logan stood up, giving Charles a pleading look before looking back at Marie, feeling helpless to fix whatever was wrong.

"Ahem." Storm coughed politely. Logan frowned and looked at her. She pointedly averted her eyes.

Logan growled, grabbing a pair of sweat pants. "More important things to worry about, Storm. Like why is Marie having a break down? And why did I feel drugged when she woke me up?" He shifted his gaze to Charles, waiting for the explanation.

Xavier shook his head and put up his hand in a 'not now' fashion, as he crouched down to communicate silently with Marie. "_He's fine, Marie. It's alright, you didn't know._"

"_Oh god, I didn't mean to, I didn't want to hurt him, I'm so sorry Cody._" Her mind kept repeating the same phrases over and over again. Charles winced at the emotional onslaught from the young woman.

Charles reached out with his mind and forced the flow of thoughts through her brain to a standstill. "_Marie. Look at me. You're at the mansion. Logan is fine. We're going to figure this out._"

She blinked in confusion, her eyes thick with tears, staring at the Professor. Her eyes cut over to Logan, looking at her, fear shining in his eyes. Not _of _her, but _for_ her. She looked back to Professor X. "How can this be happening?" she said out loud.

He shook his head in sympathy. "I don't know, we'll get you to medlab and figure it out." He had his suspicions, but he thought she could quite possibly do with a sedative before she heard them.

Storm came over to Marie, holding her arms out to her carefully to show they were gloved and wearing a long sleeve shirt, and helped her up. Marie stood, gripping Storm's arm tightly, walking by as if a zombie.

"What the fuck is going on?" Logan demanded after Marie left the room, glaring at the Professor.

"I'm afraid, Logan, that the Cure may not have been as permanent as Marie would have hoped." Charles followed Storm and Marie out of the room, leaving Logan to stand there in shock.

O o o o o o o o o O

Logan had thrown on a long-sleeved shirt and grabbed his leather gloves hastily as he padded barefoot down the halls, heading to the medlab. Scott moved quickly over to him. "I heard Marie scream. Where is she?"

"Taking her to medlab." Logan said impatiently, brushing off the deformed former leader of the X-Men.

"What did you do?" Accusation was clear in his tone.

Logan rounded on him, punching him quickly without thought in the gut, _really_ not in the mood for talking. Scott gasped and collapsed and Logan kept walking without looking back until he was in the medlab with Marie.

She shied away from him initially but he forced a smile, "Hey, I came prepared, I have protection." He put his gloves on and sat close to her, putting his arm around her and resting his head carefully on her hair.

"I'm sorry, Logan," she said dully, leaning onto him.

"I'm fine, darling', just worried about you." He spoke quietly into her ear.

She shook her head, "No. I mean…You know what this means." She looked up at him with agonized eyes.

He was very worried because he had never seen her look so defeated and crushed before. It was almost as if he could see her soul dying in front of him. "Doesn't make any difference. Still love you, you still love me; it'll be ok." His quiet words did little to ease the anguish she felt, but she let him hold her as they waited for Hank.

O o o o o o o o o o O

"It's quite remarkable, really," Beast began, then realized what he was talking about and sobered quickly. "It seems the mutation was not completely eradicated with cure. I won't know for sure unless I had bodies to test on,"

Wolverine cleared his throat impatiently, "Get to the point."

"I suspect that certain organs may not have been completely affected by the cure. Maybe it was her bones, it's possible the liver…" He looked up, realizing he was going off on a tangent again. "But it would seem as though her body is re-establishing itself as a mutant. She's mosaic right now." Wolverine gave him a blank look to tell him to explain that.

"What I mean is that parts of her are mutated, parts are not. I would guess that, given time, her entire body will revert back to the previous state."

Marie sat stone-faced with Logan's arm around her as Beast continued on about time lengths and probabilities and manifestations. She felt bile coming up her throat and Logan quickly responded by grabbing a trashcan for her to throw up in, holding her hair back from her face.

Her mutation was coming back. Hank might as well have told her she had six months to live. Strike that, Marie would have preferred that to what he was telling her now. She was losing her ability to touch.

She was acutely aware of Logan's arm around her, trying to comfort her. She couldn't ask Logan to deal with this. She knew him and she knew his mind, it wouldn't be fair to ask that of him. When he whispered to her, "Darlin', let's go back to our room," she nodded, allowing him to lead her.

Vaguely, as Logan led her out of the medlab, she heard Hank muse to Charles, "I wonder if this means everyone who was 'cured' will be reverting?"


	8. VIII

AN: Back again. :) I just have to throw out there for the "haters" that I was looking up stuff before I started writing this chapter and I have to make a comment on the "age difference" many people bitch about. Anna Paquin (the actress who played Rogue) is currently dating someone who is only one year younger than Hugh Jackman (actor of Wolverine) And let's be honest, it's the chemistry between the actors that really get you hooked on this pairing, and the age difference of the actors that bothers people.

Anyway, just had to point that out, I thought it was amusing.

This is not a happy chapter. Sorry!

On with the show.

O o o o o o o o o o O

In the mansion, everyone was on high alert. Rogue's power coming back spread even faster than the news of her and Logan's relationship. Everyone was concerned about the possible return of Magneto and Mystique and other mutants that were affected by the cure.

In Professor X's office, Storm, Kitty, Iceman, Colossus, Jubilee and Beast were having an emergency meeting regarding this turn of events. Xavier held his hands up for silence. "I think it is safe to assume if Marie is reverting, everyone else will as well. She had no particular healing or regenerative powers that would lead me to think that she was an isolated case."

"But we've not heard anything, that's a good sign, right?" Kitty asked nervously.

Storm answered that question, "It could be they are regrouping and taking advantage of everyone thinking they are powerless."

"We also don't know exactly how long Rogue's power has been coming back." Beast's calm voice broke in, slipping back to using her code name again with her return of mutation. "It isn't fully back and was only apparent on Wolverine's return." Bobby snorted and Jubilee and Kitty giggled softly, but quickly stopped with a look from the professor and remembering what Marie was now going through. "It is not very strong right now," he said thoughtfully, calculating things in his head, "I would anticipate another month perhaps before the reversion is complete."

Charles nodded, "Alright, I am going to go to Cerebro and see who I can find in the way of other mutants. Bobby and Kitty, start looking on the web for news on anything unusual. It is very likely that the mutants who _wanted_ to be cured might be trying to hide the return of their powers to maintain normalcy. Things are bound to slip though.

"Jubilee, will you assist Hank with his work in the medlab studying this?" He knew Jubilee had a strong mind for science, despite her ditzy exterior and this was a good opportunity to get her to try out medicine.

"Storm, you and Colossus should do a more manual search in some of Erik's old haunts. Also try contacting Warren to see if he wishes to join us with this mission."

Storm nodded and Colossus looked around, "Where is Cyclops?" He was surprised that Scott was not in the meeting.

Beast and Charles looked at each other and Storm spoke up. "He attempted to forcibly question Logan about Marie." She really tried to not smile, because Scott was seriously hurt, but he should have known better than to bother Logan when he was worried about Marie. "He needs some time to recover though. He can assist Bobby and Kitty when he's ready."

"Alright, you have your assignments." Charles spoke with an air of authority. "Be on high alert for problems." They all left the room to do what they needed.

O o o o o o o o o O

"Darlin', you're really scaring me here." Logan paced around their room, his eyes never leaving her face.

Marie's voice was deadened. "There's nothing to talk about or deal with." She didn't meet his eyes.

"The hell there isn't. You just told me I needed to move out! I am not moving anywhere. I like our room." And damn it, he did. She had taken some of the girly things out and she had painted the walls while he was gone. And he was used to sleeping next to her. "I get a say in this too."

"I'll kill you." It wasn't a threat, but a frightened whisper. Tears started running down her face. She didn't want him to leave and he was right, it was their room, not her room anymore. But the sooner she got the pain of this over with, the better off they would both be.

Logan moved towards her, suppressing the growl that wanted to form when she flinched from him. "I want to sleep next to you, it's worth the risk," he repeated the words she had said to him their first night together.

He reached out and grabbed her arm with a gloved hand, holding her tightly while he used his teeth to remove the other glove, making sure she couldn't try and get away. "What are you doing, Logan?" she asked with fear.

"Shut up and let me kiss you." She struggled against him, but of course he was too strong to make those struggles effective. He had his ungloved hand on the back of her neck and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. After a few moments, her protests stopped and she returned the kiss, no pull coming from him.

"God Logan, I don't want this to end." She was crying harder now, finally pulling away and resting her forehead on his.

The growl couldn't be suppressed this time, "Then it won't. Don't be stupid." He ran his ungloved hand down her bare arm. "We'll figure something out."

"But I'm going to go back to what I was!"

"Loved you then too," he grunted. "It doesn't matter to me whether you're a mutant or a human, you're _my_ Marie and nothing's gonna change that." She allowed him to take her into his arms, still crying. His face was set in anger. He hated seeing Marie hurt like this and it wasn't a problem he could solve through brute force, his specialty.

Eventually, her tears slowed. He laid her down on the bed with him, feeling his skin start to tingle just slightly where it was touching her skin. Hoping to stop it before she noticed, he released her, kissed her again, speaking softly, "Rest a little. I gotta go check in with Chuck."

She nodded and watched him leave out the door, the tears starting back up again. She had felt the start of the pull, just as much as he had.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Logan really did need to speak with Charles, but first he wanted to run by the medlab. He had smelled blood as he walked away from Scott. Marie would be pissed if he really was hurt, no matter how well deserved that punch was.

He nodded to Hank as he walked in, the blue furry doctor looking at him in sympathy, "How is she doing?"

Logan grunted in a negative fashion. "Shitty. But I've got questions and I wanted to see if One-Eye was ok."

Hank frowned, he was very concerned about Rogue and her state of mind, but there wasn't more he could do right now. He motioned over to the lab. "Jubilee and I are working on getting answers. It will take some time." He took a deep breath. "As for Scott, he's over there." He nodded towards a pulled curtain. "I don't think I'm going to have to do surgery, but he's in a lot of pain."

Wolverine was shocked. "What in the hell? I didn't use my claws!"

"Scott's grafted skin is not able to take much before ripping and getting severely damaged," Hank said quietly. He knew Logan hadn't meant to hurt Scott that badly, but he needed to understand how serious it was. "He's going to be out of commission for a while, until the wounds heal. His skin doesn't want to hold staples or sutures."

"Shit." Logan really had not intended this result and stalked over to the curtained area, pulling it back and seeing the man with bandages covering his abdomen, blood stains already leaking through. "I hope they're at least giving you the good drugs, Slim."

"Logan." The word was said as a curse. "Thanks a lot."

Wolverine gritted his teeth, "You shouldn't have said I hurt Marie." He was firm in this justification, but conceded, "I should have pulled my punch."

"Is she ok?" Even drugged up and in pain, he was still concerned about Marie. Logan couldn't be totally pissed off at anyone who cared for her that much. "What happened?" He said the last question carefully, keeping the accusation out of his tone. He really didn't want to be punched again.

"Her mutation is coming back," he said simply.

Scott closed his eyes, a wave of grief falling over him on Marie's behalf. He now understood just why he had heard her scream and what Logan was so upset about. "She's not taking it well."

Logan glared, "Of course she's not taking it well," he snapped. "I have to go. Need to talk to Chuck, then get back to her." He paused before leaving, speaking over his shoulder. "Sorry about your gut."

O o o o o o o o O

Charles was waiting for Logan after he left the medlab. "She's sleeping now," he reassured the burly man in front of him. Logan seemed like a terrifying creature to many, but Charles knew his mind, knew just how much he loved the woman who was in her own personal hell right now.

"You've got to fix this, Chuck. She's trying to push me out, and that's not good." Logan paced unhappily in front of the leader of the X-Men.

Charles's face was also set in a frown. He had looked inside Marie's mind, worried about what she was projecting. She was considering suicide, and though he wasn't comfortable sharing that with Logan yet, if she became more serious about it, he would. "No, it's not. I'm not sure what can be done though at this point. The cure has been destroyed," he began.

"We still got the kid they made the cure from," Logan growled.

"I don't think Marie would appreciate us experimenting on Jimmy, even if it would help her," he spoke firmly, not wanting Logan to get any ideas.

Logan grumbled, "Damn it, there has to be something." He sat down, his head in his hands. "I can't lose her, Chuck. Not her." His voice broke painfully, his gruff exterior falling to pieces.

Xavier laid a hand reassuringly on Logan's shoulder. "We'll figure something out." He paused, listening to something only he could hear. "She's stirring." Logan left without another word.

O o o o o o o o O

He was back in bed with his arms around her before she fully woke up. For a moment, there was a calm and happy look on her face as she saw Logan next to her, then the reality of what had happened came crashing down on her and he could see the light die in her eyes in front of him.

"Hey now, my mug isn't that bad to wake up to." He tried to get her to smile, anything to get her to connect with him.

She reached out and touched his face, her expression still solemn. They both waited, breathless, for the telltale tingle that would precede the pull of her mutation. She kept her hand there for several minutes without reaction, then let it drop, her eyes seeking his in confusion. "Hank said it would be sporadic now."

She sighed and dropped her eyes. Resignation and depression rolled off her in waves. "I don't know if I can go through with it again."

"'Course you can. You're not doing it alone." He stroked her hair lovingly, but paused after a moment. "I do have to tell you something." He paused and grumbled, "Scooter might appreciate a visit from you in medlab." She looked at him in alarm. "I may have punched him," he muttered. "He deserved it!"

She glared at him, sitting up, "I doubt that. I'll be back." She stood and stalked out of the room to visit Scott.

Logan was slightly pleased, he would rather she be pissed off at him than see the despair in her eyes.

O o o o o o o o o O

"Oh my God!" Marie exclaimed when she saw Scott. "I'm going to kill him!" she fumed.

Scott laughed, though it ended in a painful wince. "I may have deserved it." She looked at him suspiciously, waiting for him to continue. "He may have been following you down here, and I may have suggested he hurt you," he mumbled.

"Scott!" she gasped. "You're lucky he didn't do worse." She grinned, forgetting for a few wonderful moments what was going on. "You going to be ok?"

"Yeah," he said. "Logan actually apologized too." Marie looked at him in surprise. "It's true. I think he may have meant it too."

"Well, good." She smiled, then it faded and the sadness settled around her like a cloak.

Scott shook his head, "Hey now. It's going to be ok. I know it." He reached out for her hand, but she pulled it away.


	9. IX

AN: I had a choice with this about whether to show Marie's descent back down into being a mutant in slow, painful, angsty manner, or sort of skip over it, much like I did the time when she and Logan first got together.

I elected to skip it. I think I've shown that she is very upset with her mutation returning and the rest I can tell in flashbacks, without making everyone depressed! :)

This is the third entirely different version of this chapter that I've written. *chuckle* I think I like this version the best.

Hope you like this chapter.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Time marched on like it always does, and Marie had no choice in her reversion from human back to mutant. She started going by Rogue again, to everyone except Logan. She would always be Marie to him, and she didn't want that to change.

In the few weeks she had before her mutation returned fully, she spent every possible moment with Logan, trying to get her fill on human touch. They learned that if they would separate, even just slightly, they could go back to whatever they were doing if they felt the pull, at least while it was still weak.

It felt like a clock ticking down the moments until her death. The amount of time spent in physical contact was getting shorter and shorter before the pull started. Finally, it had fully remanifested and she could only touch Logan for moments before her cursed skin began trying to pull his life from him.

Charles was meeting with her several times a week; his concern for her mental state had not abated. She still was considering that suicide might be a better choice than the loss she was dealing with. There was just so little that anyone could do to console her. They worked at trying to gain control of her power, but with little success.

Logan was frustrated; he liked enemies that he could gut and maim, not insidious emotions that could rob him of his home and happiness. The invisible force that was pulling Marie away from him was the worst kind of opponent he could have. He just wasn't used to dealing with emotional scars that were not his own. The one victory he had was that he resolutely refused to move out of their room, or let her either. He felt it was no more dangerous now than it had been before, and less so to her. Of course, her nightmares intensified and all he could do was hold her and stroke her hair and try and reassure her that someday it would get better.

O o o o o o o o o O

Scott had recovered remarkably, better than Hank had expected. He took it upon himself to help Rogue get ready to go back to being an X-Man, setting up danger room training and going over strategies. Rogue put up with it, but her heart wasn't really in it. Her heart didn't seem to be in much most days. Logan let Scott do most of the training, it was good for both of them; Scott needed to feel useful again, and Logan would have a hard time not helping Rogue.

Scott declared one night that she was ready to go back into 'active duty', so to speak. She actually felt a spark of happiness at that, running back to the room to tell Logan. He was working at their desk when she came in, grinning. "Guess what?"

The Wolverine couldn't help but grin back. He missed seeing Marie happy, truly happy. "What, darlin'?"

"I'm officially an X-Man again," she said, her cheeks flushed with pride. Of all the things she missed, this was one of the big ones. "I get to go out on missions again!"

He stood up and lifted her, twirling her in a circle, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Congrats. I know you wanted this." He was trying to be supportive and keep the chauvinist inside of him quiet, the part that never wanted Marie in danger. He knew that wasn't feasible or reasonable, and he also had to admit that he tended to like strong women who could challenge him.

"Makes you nervous, doesn't it?" She smirked; she knew him and how his mind worked.

"Of course it does," he said gruffly. He knew this day was coming and he had worked out a plan that would make him a hell of a lot more comfortable about it. "I wanted to talk to you about it, actually."

She gave him a warning look, "I'm not staying behind. This is one of the things I've been looking forward to."

"I know, I wouldn't ask you to do that." He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear with a gloved hand. He had taken to wearing gloves as much as she did, to make it easier to touch her. "When your powers came back, the personalities didn't, did they?"

She shook her head 'no', frowning slightly, trying to figure out where he was going with this. "It's just me in here and the memories of everyone, but no one is active anymore. She smiled slightly, "I take that back, I have a little of you. But just a little." She smiled wistfully.

He nodded, "That's what I thought." He stared into her eyes intensely and she suddenly flashed back to their first night together and the look he gave her when they started on this whole experience. "I want to be with you."

She rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Fine, though Scott wouldn't have cleared me if he didn't think I was ready."

"No." He shook his head solemnly. "I want to be back inside your head, if you'll let me."

Marie pushed away from him, shocked, "What? Why? I'd hurt you! I could kill you!" She stared at him as though he had grown a second head.

He walked back over to her, continuing to meet her eyes. "First, I know having me in your head will help keep you safer. It's just a fact, and you know it." He gave her a challenging look, asking her to deny it, which she didn't. "Second, we both know how this works, and you _are_ going to end up absorbing other people at some point. I don't want someone like Magneto to be the strongest voice in your head. I want that to be me. You belong to me." He moved even closer to her. "You'll stop it before it goes too far, I know. I'll be fine."

Marie watched him in shocked silence as he removed her gloves, then his shirt, then her shirt, finally his own gloves. "I don't think we'd have time for anything too fun, but I do intend on enjoying touching your skin again," he whispered huskily into her ear, still keeping a hair's breadth space between their bodies.

Her silence was signaling consent, so Logan finally closed the distance, embracing her in a passionate kiss, trying to touch every inch of her that he could reach before he fell unconscious; Marie followed suit, kissing him back with a desperation that broke his heart.

It wasn't long enough before he felt the pull. It hurt, but it hurt more to think of letting her go again. Despite the pain, it was the most intimate thing he could experience: willingly giving his life force and mind to another. Marie felt it as well and she began pushing away from him, the intensity frightening her. He resisted at first, not having his fill of the feel of her body again.

A few moments more though, she was stronger than him and was able to push him away, gasping for breath as he fell to the floor.

"_PROFESSOR!"_ she screamed inside her mind. She grabbed her shirt and gloves, hastily replacing them and kneeling down to make sure Logan didn't hurt himself too badly as he twitched and convulsed in front of her. She was fighting with Logan internally for control over what to do and concentrated hard on staying herself and being there to help if needed.

"What happened?" Beast rushed in the room, kneeling down beside the fallen Wolverine, opposite Rogue.

"None of your damn business, fuzz-butt," Marie growled.

"Well, that answers that," Hank said drily.

Professor X walked in the room and surveyed the scene, sighing and shaking his head. "He did this deliberately." He looked back at the collection of students at the door, watching the proceedings, "Go back to what you were doing. Everything is fine here, correct Hank?" He looked at the blue mutant expectantly.

"His vitals seem stable. He should wake up in a few hours." Beast stood and lifted Logan's adamantium-infused skeleton with some difficulty, preparing to carry him to medlab.

Marie seemed to be struggling to gain control, then spoke up as Beast reached the door, "Please, can't he stay here? I won't touch him again." Losing control again, she growled protectively and bone claws shot out of her hands.

Hank and Charles looked at each other and Hank moved back into the room, speaking soothingly, "It's alright, you can keep him here, you know where we are if you need us." Once it was clear that Logan wasn't being taken away, Marie's claws retracted, the skin healing immediately. She took a chair and pulled it over and sat down next to the bed to await Logan's awakening and to make sure she stayed in control of her mind.

O o o o o o o O

"_You have _got_ to back off, sugar!" Rogue said with annoyance to Wolverine._

"_I'm trying, but it's hard," he replied with a growl. They were circling each other in a vast open field, both of them crouched defensively with claws out, hers of bone, his of adamantium. _

"_It's my head," she said, feinting left then making a strike to the right, slashing down his body, the wounds healing as soon as they were created._

_He growled at her drawing first blood. "I know it is, but I can't just back down. That wouldn't be me." _

_She rolled her eyes. "You are a stubborn ass sometimes." She winced as he scored a hit, her wound healing just as quickly as his. "I love you for it, but sometimes it can be annoying." She slipped behind him, making another slash, now across his back. _

"_Same to you, darlin'." He tried to get a hit in when she slipped behind him, but she was faster. He got her on the withdraw of her strike, cutting deeply into her arm. "You gotta watch your retreat. You left yourself wide open." _

"_Sorry I don't have as much experience fighting with these things as you do." She considered the situation. She had advantages in the way she moved, but he did have brute strength and the benefit of experience. _

_An idea dawned on her and she smirked as she ran her claws down her own body, removing the clothing easily. Logan's jaw dropped and he stepped forward. His claws were automatically retracting, lust clear in his eyes. _

_Rogue took advantage of his distraction, leaping forward and placing her claws at his throat, whispering with a grin, "I win." _

"_That's not fair," he chuckled._

"_Hey, I use what I have to. Just remember that: my head, my rules, my decisions. I'll listen to you, but I'm the boss here." She retracted her claws as he signaled his agreement with a moan, his hands roaming on her body. _

"_You're the boss," he echoed, the scene fading from her mind._

O o o o o o o o o o O

Rogue opened her eyes and smiled. Everything and everyone was under control, all was copacetic. Logan looked peacefully asleep in their bed and she leaned over and kissed the top of his head, protected by hair. "You are an idiot," she said quietly, with fondness.

Logan opened his eyes, groaning slightly, "Ugh, you have one powerful kiss, woman." He smiled at her.

"You started it," she replied with a grin. "Feeling ok?"

He grunted and sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine. You ok? Got everything under control in there?" He looked pointedly at her forehead.

Marie nodded, "Yeah. It just so happens, I know some weaknesses of yours." She gave him a wicked grin.

"Like what?" Logan demanded gruffly.

"Me." They both chuckled at that and Marie lowered herself to snuggle into bed with Logan. Now she had both things she had missed about her mutation being gone – She was an X-Man again and Logan would always be with her.


	10. X

AN: Thanks again to all the reviewers and people who are adding me to their story alert/favorite story/favorite author list. It really jazzes me up when I see that.

Somehow I ended up with a plot in this thing. Who would have thought? Anyway, here it comes. I took some liberties with the canon comic history, because I don't want to involve the alien stuff. Bear with me.

Enjoy!

O o o o o o o o O

Things weren't great at Xavier's School for gifted children; Marie had no pretenses about that. Marie had kept adjusting to her life, but she still wasn't really happy. She missed being able to touch people, anyone, without having to make sure there was at least one layer between them. She missed being able to have regular sex with Logan. They found ways around it with their hands and mouths, but that still didn't compare to what they used to have.

She definitely felt it was worse now than it was when she was younger. When she first came to the mansion, she hadn't had those experiences and therefore she couldn't miss them. She tried to remember what it was like to wistfully pine at knowing what a sensation was like, vs. having to miss a sensation that used to exist.

Logan had accepted her reversion better than anyone should have, especially him. She really hadn't expected him to fight like he had to stay with her. That was a good thing, she supposed. Without her mutation, she had to rely on his words and actions, which were all well and good, but she didn't know what he was truly feeling.

He had insisted that she absorb him again. It was scary, horrifying and really kind of hot. It was a lot of trust to put into her, that she wouldn't miscalculate the length of time they had, and the knowledge that his mind would now be bared open to her. She was frightened of what she would find there: imagining fantasies of Jean, other women, or just even the open road, the feeling that she was holding him back.

It shocked her that as she took a piece of his soul into her, he really did love her. He was Wolverine, for God's sake, he wasn't supposed to feel love like that. He fucked women and moved on, not settled down an made a home with them. She felt his incredulity along with her own at his feelings. He thought it was just as bizarre as she did, but nevertheless, he felt that way.

Marie found that his last trip away to chase down a lead about his past had taken him to Japan. He had found out a few things, but had missed her enough that he was considering asking her to come along on the next trip. If she wasn't seeing it for herself in his mind, she would have never believed it.

And so, she stopped fighting him about them staying together. She selfishly didn't want to be without him, and he very clearly did not want to be without her. It was fucked up and twisted, but that was the story of their lives.

O o o o o o o o o O

Mutant activity had definitely started to pick up. Kitty had found a girl in Boston who was going by the name 'Ms. Marvel', and becoming a well-known vigilante. She was clearly a mutant, but no one was sure what her true identity was.

Charles felt it was best to try and go talk to the woman, perhaps ask her to join the X-Men. Rogue, Iceman and Wolverine were tapped to go on the mission. Wolverine was the muscle in case things went wrong, Iceman knew Boston better than anyone else and Rogue could hopefully connect with the woman, if they found her.

Dressed in civilian clothes, so as to better blend in, they headed out immediately. Despite their previous history, Rogue and Bobby still got along reasonably well. They joked uneasily that they hoped that this trip would end better than their last one. They all remembered too well how the last trip ended, with Pyro blowing up all the cops, Bobby's last contact with his family, and the crashing of the Blackbird. Not an experience they wanted to repeat.

When the trio arrived, there was some debate as to how they were going to find this mystery woman. Rogue finally came up with the idea to just hang out in the more crime-ridden areas and wait and see what they could find.

That was how they ended up in one of the seediest areas of Southie, spread out to try and find their target. Bobby heard a commotion down at a construction site, letting Rogue and Wolverine know on the comm. He and Rogue arrived at the same time, finding their target, Ms. Marvel securing two gangbangers to steel girders for safekeeping.

"Hey," Rogue called out, not wanting to make it seem like they were sneaking up on the woman. Rogue's eyes widened when Ms. Marvel took a defensive position and started rising in the air. "Wait! We wanted to talk to you. We're mutants, like you!"

The blond woman slowed her ascent and then came back to the ground. "What do you want?" Her tone was suspicious, looking between the two young people. Wolverine arrived on the scene at this point, but hung back, not wanting to startle the group and noting that Rogue and Iceman seemed to have things under control for now.

"Just to talk." Iceman held out his hands in a comforting fashion. "We're from a school, a special school for mutants."

"You look like you should still be students," she said with a sharp tone.

Rogue's anger flared a little at being called young, "Well, we're not and we're here to try and help you." Her voice was a little more harsh than needed.

Marvel gave them a superior look, "Does it look like I need your help?"

Iceman quickly took over in talking, not wanting Rogue's temper to make things more difficult. "You're doing fine with your powers, but what happens when the city turns against you? You're a vigilante."

"No, I am helping the police," she said defensively.

"Did you know they have to let the criminals you catch go, usually?" Rogue butt in, unable to help it.

"What Rogue means, is that by working outside the system, it can be used against you. Plus, there's a bigger fight coming, besides just the crips and the bloods." Iceman's expression was serious and he took a step towards her.

Now she looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"There's a war coming, and the mutants are going to have to choose a side. There are some that respect and care for humans, like those at Xavier's school. Others…well, they view humans in a different light."

"Indeed we do." The haughty voice of Magneto brought everyone to attention. He chuckled, "My favorite plaything has come along." His eyes cut to Logan in the shadows, pinning him to the ground with a thought. "It seems we're recruiting out of the same pool." He looked at Rogue and Bobby, a smirk on his face.

Ms. Marvel looked at the strange man with the metal helmet in front of her, something deep inside telling her that he was not one of the good guys. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Magneto, I'm the leader of the Brotherhood, a group of mutants who refuse to be treated like the animals humans regard us as. We are better than they are, but they want to throw us into camps and eradicate us! We are the future, not the X-Men." His tone was smug and he smirked when he saw Rogue taking off her gloves and pushing up her sleeves slightly.

"I don't know about that," Ms. Marvel was uneasy. The passion he spoke with was real, but she could easily see how that could shift to a fanaticism that was just as dangerous from the opposite side. She took a step away from Magneto.

Frustration sparked on his face, "Even after they attacked us with cure guns? You will side with them? Disgusting." He waved a hand and flung a girder towards Iceman and Rogue. Ms. Marvel reacted without thinking, diving in front of them, grabbing Rogue's bare wrist and pulling her so she could shield the younger woman from the blow.

Rogue started to scream the moment that Ms. Marvel touched her, "Let me go, don't touch me!" But the woman who fancied herself a superhero was too intent on saving Rogue to hear. They fell back together and then something toppled onto them, pinning Marvel's hand in place, in contact with Rogue's wrist. Her face also fell forward, resting on the bare skin of Rogue's cheek. Any way Rogue tried to twist and move, she couldn't escape the skin-to-skin contact.

Rogue felt the pull of powers and memories from the woman, the screams dying in her throat as the high pitched shriek began in Marvel's body. Everything flooded into her, more than she had ever taken in before. Rogue was completely overwhelmed by it all, her eyes rolling back into her head before losing consciousness completely.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Magneto had fled after the chaos began, freeing Wolverine with his absence. He and Iceman both raced to the pile of rubble that had buried Rogue and Ms. Marvel, digging as fast as they could. The screams that had been coming from under the bricks were gone, and that was more disturbing than the sound of them to begin with.

It was an eternity to Logan as he clawed through the rock, finally reaching the women buried there. Bobby carefully pulled Ms. Marvel out while Logan sheathed his claws and picked up Marie. "Darlin'?" He brushed his forehead against hers, waiting for the pull, so he could give her his healing. Nothing.

He stayed in contact with Rogue's skin while he turned his head to see Bobby performing CPR on the other mutant. He refocused on Marie, kissing her, willing her to wake up. Nothing.

"Come on, Marie. Don't do this to me again," he whispered desperately. "Come on. COME ON!" he finally yelled in a guttural voice.

"Wolverine!" Bobby called to him, looking frantic and wild-eyed. "We have to get back to the mansion." He had either saved the other woman, or he had given her up for dead. Wolverine didn't much care at that point, more concerned with the woman in his arms. "Maybe Professor X can - "

"Let's go then," Logan growled as he cut the boy off. He carried Marie back to the Blackbird, Bobby carrying the blond woman, rushing back in the vain hopes that maybe there was something that could be done to save his Marie.

O o o o o o o o o O

Everyone was waiting anxiously in the hangar for the arrival of the Blackbird. They had gotten a disturbing message from a wild-sounding Wolverine that the mission had been compromised, there were casualties and they needed medical assistance the moment they landed.

When the craft finally landed back at the Institute, Wolverine carried the limp form of the mutant known as Rogue. "She's still warm. She's still got a heart beat. But her skin is off. What does that mean?" He looked to Charles in a panic.

"What happened?" Charles asked in his most soothing voice as Hank took Marie and began to examine her.

"She was buried under her." Bobby now spoke up, carrying his own body. "I think they were touching." His voice was filled with concern and tears had welled up in his eyes. No matter what, he still cared about Marie, and it had been a traumatizing thing to see and hear.

Professor X looked sharply up at Bobby. "Get them both down to the medlab. This could be very serious."

O o o o o o o o o O

Logan hated the medlab. It wasn't the fault of anyone, but between his nightmarish memories of Akali Lake and the fact that the only time he came here was when he or Marie was seriously hurt, it just didn't make for good memories or thoughts.

Right now, Marie and the other woman were hooked up to bizarre looking machines. They had little electrodes placed all over their scalps and the Professor was looking at the readouts coming from the machine that was recording the information with a frown.

"What is it, already?" His limit for patience was about reached. Marie was still unconscious, and still touchable. "Is she going to be ok?"

Charles took a deep breath. "The woman that you brought back," his voice was filled with pain as he spoke, "She does not have any active brain activity. It's a miracle that she's even breathing. Rogue on the other hand, her brain is working harder than perhaps I've ever seen before in my life." He motioned to the frenetic movement of the needles on the paper.

"But that's ok, right?" Logan looked down at Marie, her face looked so peaceful, hiding the tumultuous activity going on beneath the surface.

"I suspect that Rogue is trying to gain control. She's never had contact with someone for so long." He looked back over to the blonde unconscious woman, "I don't know if she will ever recover. And assuming Rogue awakens, it possible it will not be her, but the woman she absorbed."

Logan's jaw tightened and he sat down with Marie, holding her hand. "It'll be her." He spoke with confidence, though his body language betrayed his unease. He leaned down and began whispering in Marie's ear.

O o o o o o o o o o O

"_Man, I feel like I just got hit by a truck." Rogue said as she awakened in a large white room._

"_You and me both." Ms. Marvel was rubbing her forehead. "Where are we?" _

"_My head, I think," Marie said carefully._

_Marvel frowned, "Why am I here then? It must be mine." She stood up gracefully._

"_No, I absorb people. That's my power." Rogue tried to sound apologetic._

"_That's not possible." Marvel continued walking around, examining the white nothingness. She closed her eyes and suddenly they were in the middle of Boston Common. She looked at Marie triumphantly, "See? I told you, my head. Otherwise I shouldn't be able to change the scenery."_

_Marie concentrated on the room she shared with Logan, the edges of her vision wavering slightly, but the image of the park stayed. She received a look that was clearly telling her 'I told you so'. _

_Rogue stood up, frustration on her face. "No, I know this is mine. I'm sorry. But I was stuck touching you." She crossed her arms over her chest._

"_How long will it last, you draining me?" _

_Rogue looked nervous, "I'm not sure. I've never done it for this long."_

"_Could it be permanent?" she asked with a dawning sense of horror._

"_I told you, I don't know!" she yelled and moved away._

"_No way, Jose." Marvel grabbed her arm tightly and tried to force Marie to face her, but of course, Rogue was sharing the same powers and was able to resist. "Put me back," she hissed._

"_I can't. I don't have that kind of control over it." She ripped her arm out of Marvel's grasp._

_Fury bloomed on Marvel's face. "You better get that kind of control, or I'm taking this one." The threat was dead serious and Marie began to get scared. Ms. Marvel was stronger than her. How would she be able to win against her and be _her_ again?_

"Darlin', I love you, I'm here every step of the way."_ The disembodied voice floated over them both, filling Marie with a sense of hope. She concentrated on Logan's voice and searched for the inner Logan she still had inside of her._

_Suddenly, Logan looking deadly in old jeans, bare feet and chest appeared, shocking Ms. Marvel. "How many people do you have trapped in here?" she asked in horror._

"_Not as many as I used to." Rogue said, moving closer to the Wolverine, whose claws came out with a soft *snikt*. The woman with the white stripe in her hair leapt at Ms. Marvel, amazing herself when she realized she was flying. _

_They fought, evenly matched. Logan did not physically help with the fight, just yelled out encouragement and strategies she should use. The fight seemed to go on forever, there was no sense of time or its passage in her mind. With Logan's help though, Rogue began to take the upper hand. _

_As Rogue's blows continued to beat down the other woman, the setting finally changed from Boston Common to their room, then back to the whiteness that they saw when they initially woke up._

_With a brutal scream, Rogue made another charge at the woman she was fighting, grabbing her arm and then spinning her and throwing her with all her might. Ms. Marvel's body seemed to break through the paper walls of the white room, her screams fading into the blackness. _

_Rogue fell to her knees and began crying. She hadn't wanted to do that, any of it. The only thing that kept her willing to go on was the large arm draped over her shoulders, assuring her it would be alright. _

"_You just gotta wake up Marie and it will seem ok," the Logan in her mind said, touching her cheek lightly. Just wake up." _

O o o o o o o o o o o O

Logan had not left Marie's bedside in two days, except to go to the bathroom. Jubilee would bring him water and sandwiches that he pointedly ignored. At the end of the second day of his vigil, a sensation he feared was gone forever appeared. He could feel the pull of Marie's mutation suddenly, and let go of her hand, calling for Hank and Charles.

After a short exam, Charles said, "It's a promising sign that her mutation is working again. Hopefully she will be waking up soon." He patted Logan on the shoulder in encouragement.

Logan could only nod, leaning his head down so he could at least continue to talk to her, encouraging her to just wake up for him. If she would just wake up, things will be ok. He repeated that mantra more times than he could count, hoping that one time it would actually work and her eyes would open.

When it happened, he almost didn't believe it. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting against the light. Any doubts faded when he heard her beautiful voice with its southern accent, asking him, "Are you ok, sugar?" He didn't respond except to kiss her for as long as he could before her powers kicked in.

O o o o o o o O

Secondary AN: So, please forgive the liberties I took with Ms. Marvel. I really wanted to bring in that event in Rogue's life. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, despite its long length.


	11. XI

AN: When writing the last chapter, I accidentally wrote the end of the story. I wrote this lone scene, then realized it was exactly how I would picture the story finishing. So, I'm working my way towards it….maybe another chapter or two.

Again, thanks for the continued reviews, I appreciate it and I've hit 50. W00t!

This is another chapter that went through several incarnations and I had a hard time getting it to come out like I wanted. Hopefully the end result is enjoyed.

O o o o o o o o o O

Rogue seemed to have recovered fully from the incident at the Southie construction site. The same could not be said for the unfortunate woman known as Ms. Marvel. Rogue was able to tell them that her real name was Carol Danvers. She didn't have any family available, so Xavier had her placed in a nursing home when it was clear she was not going to recover. Rogue suffered from the knowledge that she had essentially killed the woman and she would never return.

She also silently was suffering from occasional blackouts, but they seemed harmless enough, she wasn't passing out, no one was getting hurt, she just sometimes seemed to lose track of time easily. Wolverine had noticed there was something different, but had attributed it to difficult times she was going through.

Until one night.

O o o o o o o o o O

The night in question, Logan was out in the gardens, relaxing under the night sky. No beer, no cigar, just the wonder of the outdoors. He thought that the addition of Marie was all that was needed to make the night perfect.

Almost on command, he saw a silhouette saunter out of the mansion and approach him. It was Marie, his nose told him that, but there was something off in her walk. He watched her silently as she walked up, then sat down next to him. The first thing he noticed was that her gloves were off.

Alarm bells started ringing in his head. This wasn't Marie. He tried to look for any sign that it could be Mystique, but couldn't find anything that wasn't his Marie, down to the scars she had received. He mentally broadcast a note of alarm to Xavier.

Outwardly though, he was cool and playing along with whomever's sick game. He smiled at the stranger in front of him, allowing her to move to straddle him. "How about some fun, big, strong and sexy?" she purred in a seductive voice. Her hands went to the button on his pants quickly.

Logan couldn't take it any longer, he grabbed the woman's wrists, flipping her over and growling, "Who are you, and where is Marie?"

The woman laughed bitterly, "She's right here, isn't she? Except better." She winked, and looked to where Logan had grabbed her, touching the exposed skin without any pull of Marie's mutation.

"No, you ain't Marie, so where the hell is she, before I lose my patience." The time for patience was fast passing and the only thing that was keeping him from running the woman through was the fear that she would be necessary to get Marie back.

For a flash of a moment, the expression on the face shifted and he heard a quick whisper, "Help me," before it disappeared. He also noted that in those brief moments, the pull had started. Before he could react though, he found himself flipped over and hanging from Marie's wrists as she rose in the air.

"There is no help for you! You stole my life, it's only fair!" she screamed into the air as the Professor and Cyclops arrived.

"What's going on?" Scott asked in confusion, looking at Wolverine who refused to let go of Rogue, even as he was being dangled in the air.

"Carol Danver's personality has subsumed Rogue's. She's an incredibly strong mind and resents what was done to her," Charles explained quickly. "Logan!" he called to the larger mutant who was doing his best to wrestle the woman back down to the ground.

Logan looked over to the Professor and heard his disembodied voice in his head. "_Logan, I can try to forcibly subdue Carol and make her accept her fate. If that fails, I can try to build a wall around her."_

Logan let out a primal scream of rage, finally managing to bring Rogue to the ground, his thoughts anguished. He had done everything he could to prevent that from being done to Jean, and in the end, it had cost her everything. But was it right to alter the mind like that, would it just make it worse in the end?

Tears fell from his eyes as he pierced his claws through Marie's arms and deep into the ground to try and prevent her from flying off. "The choice is yours, Logan." Charles spoke aloud this time. He knew how much Logan was opposed to this in general, but they were running out of options. Either Rogue would live her life as Carol Danvers, or he could try and help Marie reemerge from her own mind.

"I'm so sorry Marie. I can't. I just can't." His voice was harsh with pain and torment. Mentally, he projected, "_Do it._" The body beneath him became still as the Professor started to work on her mind. "I'm sorry darlin', I just can't lose you," he whispered in apology, hoping to God that he made the right choice.

O o o o o o o o o O

_Charles walked across Rogue's mindscape towards the blonde woman with an angry scowl on her face._

"_Did she kill you too?" she asked bitterly. _

_Xavier shook his head slowly. "No, I am here of my own volition."_

"_At least one of us is." She crossed her arms in front of her. "What do you want? I'm not ready to die." _

"_Rogue did not want to harm you, that was not her intention." Charles spoke in a comforting voice. "If she could undo it, I know she would." He used his mental powers to try and pacify the woman, make her more open to hearing the other side of the story._

_Carol rolled her eyes, "Sure. And now she has undone it. I get her life and body since she took mine." Her eyes dared him to disagree with the equity of the situation._

"_I think you know that is not truly fair." Xavier's mind reached out to see what Marvel's memories of the event were. "You grabbed her first." _

"_But I didn't know!" she replied defensively. "She should have stopped it from happening." _

_Charles shook his head, "She can't. She doesn't have control over her mutation. She's worked at it but it eludes her." _

"_Well, I can control it, so maybe it's better then that I have it too now." _

_His eyebrows raised in surprise, "That's why her power wasn't working when you were in control, not because you couldn't access it?" _

_She looked uneasy, "Well, yeah. I didn't want to do that to anyone, no matter what else was happening. I just kept it off." She paused, some of the anger starting to dissipate. "How could she live without being able to turn it off?" Unwillingly she felt a swell of pity for the girl. She looked suspiciously at the man before her, knowing he was someone of great mental strength, wondering if he was influencing her mind._

"_I'm sure you have access to her mind right now, have you bothered to look?" he asked, then waited as she concentrated, a slight hint of shame coming to her features, her anger overshadowing all of her other thoughts._

_Rogue fell from nowhere with a thud onto the floor. Her expression was that of someone who had lost all hope. "What do you want?" It wasn't clear to whom she was addressing her statement._

_Carol studied her, clearly accessing the information from the memories of Marie, a horrible knot in her stomach appearing the more she saw. Carol was not an evil woman. She was angry and sad and frustrated, but she was not evil. Clearly the girl in front of her was not evil either and had been through more than most people could tolerate. _

"_Damn it." Marvel sat down on a bench that suddenly appeared on the scene, her head resting in her hands. Worse than any of the other memories was the overwhelming guilt that Marie felt for absorbing Danvers. She had given up fighting because she felt she deserved the fate. _

_Xavier looked between the two women, he was sorry that there wasn't more that he could do to make any of this right. Neither of them deserved to die, but his loyalty was with Rogue and he intended to assist her in regaining control of her body._

"_I will never stop trying to find a way to return you to your body." Charles stated, hoping that maybe an agreement could be reached. Carol stayed silent while Rogue continued to sit there with deadened eyes. _

"_Will you stop sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself?" Wolverine made a sudden appearance, growling at the beaten figure of Marie. He turned to glare at Carol, "I hope you're proud of yourself, making her feel like shit over something she had no control over."_

_Carol looked at Logan, her eyes widening and then turning back to Charles, "How many people does this girl have in her head?" _

_Charles couldn't help but smile in amusement, "Not nearly as many as she used to." _

_Logan smirked at that comment, then turned back to Marie. "I said get up!" _

"_Stop yelling at me, Logan!" she finally muttered. "She's right, she was innocent, and I killed her." _

"_Bullshit. It was an accident, and no more your fault than it was mine that first night in the mansion." He crouched down to look Marie in the eyes, referencing the night he stabbed her with his claws, the night he felt endless guilt about. Marie always rode him that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't have known she was there, and now he threw that back in her face._

_Carol was watching the exchange between the two, "He's your…" she trailed off, searching for the right word and when he glared at her, she just finished, "Yours. And you drained him too?" she asked incredulously, as if this supported her supposition that Rogue couldn't handle her powers._

"_I _asked_ her to, to try and protect her from people like _you_." He turned his attention back to Rogue, his voice quiet and angry, "You're going to let this stuck-up bitch boss you around?" _

"_Logan," Charles began in a warning tone. He was ignored._

"_You're going to let her take over your life? Try to take over your life with me?" Now he sounded truly pissed off._

_Anger flashed in Rogue's eyes, "No!" She looked over at Carol and stood up. "I'm real sorry, you seem like a nice lady, but I'm going to have to have my body back." Her tone was apologetic, but her posture threatening, the essence of Logan clearly seeping into her._

"_Wait, Rogue." Charles held up a hand, he really didn't want to see Marvel hurt, and knew Marie would be better off in the long run if Marvel wasn't a hostile personality in her head. _

"_Carol, Marie. I would like to have time to find out if we can place Carol back in her body somehow." Wolverine and Rogue growled in unison. "But Carol, you cannot take over Rogue's life." Carol took a step back into a defensive position. "Listen to me, there is room for compromise." Now all three people looked at him expectantly, without lowering their guards._

_Charles used his mental powers to try and calm all the personalities that made up Marie at that moment. "I propose a trade of sorts, until we find a way to put Carol back in her body." Six sets of eyes turned instantly suspicious._

O o o o o o o o O

"What in the hell is taking so long?" Wolverine growled, "I gave him the damn permission to do what he needed." They were still on the lawn outside, not wanting to disturb either body for fear of it causing problems with the Professor.

"Will you just shut the hell up, Logan?" Scott snapped angrily.

Wolverine's jaw clenched and he had to resist the urge to go and shove his claws through his too-tender abdomen. Instead, he tried to maintain control, "What the hell is your problem?"

"I don't know, a woman I care about is about to get lost in her own mind. And both times, you've made the call, you've decided their fate; we know how well that worked out last time." Scott retorted.

Logan flinched. Part of him wanted to go over and run Scott through, but another part still felt guilt about Jean and that he was against the Professor blocking the Phoenix. It _was_ his fault. And now he risked losing Marie in much the same way. Maybe this was his penance for everything he had done.

Scott was poised, ready for a strike from the other man, but it never came. "I was wrong," Logan said flatly. "I was wrong and it cost both of us Jeannie." It was the first time he had really said that out loud, much less to another person.

A strangled cry escaped from Scott and he raised his glasses and hit Wolverine with his optic blasts, knocking the man back ten feet.

Instead of charging back at Scott in retribution and anger, Logan merely stood up and walked back to where Marie laid, crouching down beside her. "I'm sorry. And hopefully this isn't some sort of karmic payback, because Marie deserves better than this. She shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes." He didn't look at Scott at all during his little speech, unable to look at the visible proof of just how big his mistake was with Jean.

Scott was shocked, his mouth open as he looked at Logan. He would have never expected an apology from the man, nor the level of honesty and intimacy that he just displayed. He closed his mouth with a snap, finally saying quietly, "She's strong, she'll be ok."

Logan didn't say anything more, his focus was on Marie and waiting for any sign that she was going to rouse from the inner turmoil she was trapped in.

O o o o o o o o O

"_The problem with all of this is that I have to trust you. I give her a foothold, and next thing I know, I'm screwed and gone, never to be seen again." Carol was still suspicious._

_Charles smiled, "You're right, you do have to trust me. But also trust that I could bury you, without your consent." He cast a glance to Rogue and Wolverine, now in mirrored crouched poses, ready to attack, "And trust they could very well be successful in destroying you. But we need not come to violence, if you will trust us."_

_Carol glanced over to Rogue and Wolverine, "Do you _swear_ you will hold up your end of the deal?" _

_Immediately Rogue broke her aggressive posture, regarding Carol carefully. "Do you _swear_ you will hold up _your_ end?" Wolverine hadn't moved yet, but with a light touch to the back of his neck by Rogue, he relaxed. _

_The mutant formerly known as Ms. Marvel cast her gaze between the three other faces with her. She was outnumbered and this seemed to be her best shot of survival. She swallowed hard, closed her eyes, and stuck out her hand. "Deal." _

O o o o o o o O

Marie sat up suddenly, gasping for breath, looking around wildly. Logan immediately went on the defensive, his claws coming out, unsure whether it was Marie or the other woman who was appearing.

"Logan!" Charles's voice cut through the confusion quickly. "It's alright. It's Marie."

And just as suddenly as they appeared, his claws disappeared and he gathered Marie into his arms for a tight embrace, unmindful of her skin. When he felt the all-too-familiar pull of her mutant power, he reluctantly released her. "You ok?" he said gruffly, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.

"I think so, thank you." She turned towards Xavier, "And thank you too. I would have never been able to do it without the both of you." Marie brushed her lips quickly across Logan's cheek, too fast for her skin to recognize the contact.

Xavier nodded, then turned and headed back inside. Scott had long since gone inside, and the light of a new dawn was breaking over the horizon, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

O o o o o o o o o O

Little bit of a cliffie, but it needed to be broken here, so please forgive me.


	12. XII

AN: Please see the author's note at the bottom.

O o o o o o o o o o o o O

Logan cradled Marie in his arms, stroking her hair lightly. "I thought I lost you, darlin'. It wasn't a good feeling."

"Me too." She happily relaxed herself in his arms for the moment, enjoying the feeling more because she had almost lost it.

His voice was pained as he spoke the next words, "And I'm sorry I let the Professor mess around in your head and put in blocks. I couldn't let you get lost."

She shook her head, "He didn't put in any blocks. We worked out a … compromise," she said delicately.

"Compromise?" An eyebrow shot up quizzically.

"Xavier is going to work on finding a way to put her back in her body." Logan just watched, waiting for her to get to the compromise part. "And she can control my mutation. She's going to teach me how." Marie gave a hopeful smile, this was the only reason she agreed to any of it. She reached out and caressed Logan's cheek with a wistful smile, "I'll be able to touch you again."

Logan's jaw hardened at her touch, his face still serious, "But compromise involves you giving up something. What are you giving up?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "One day a week." She cracked open her eyes to see Logan's reaction and also quickly amended, "My choice of day."

"Marie!" His voice was shocked and horrified. "You are going to give her your body once a week?"

"Yes, I am!" she shot back, somewhat angry that he wasn't being supportive. "It was either that or have a seriously pissed off personality in my head that would be potentially trying to hurt me. And I'll learn to _touch_, Logan." She reached out her hands again to rest them on his chest.

"Marie," he choked out, clearly pained by this turn of events. He put his hands over hers, feeling the warmth of them, despite the fabric. He could also feel the slight tremble that she was trying so hard to hide. "Darlin', I wish you didn't feel like you always have to give up so much." His voice was quiet and he gathered her into his arms. "Mutant or human, touch or not, that doesn't change how I feel."

She let him hold her, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs of relief.

O o o o o o o o o O

Later, Logan sat down with Marie and Xavier to hear the details. "So how will this work, exactly?" His expression was unhappy, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Well, she's going to stop fighting me most days, and one day a week, I will let her run the show. Part of that day, she'll work on showing me how she controls my skin," Marie began.

"And part of that day will be spent with me, working on trying to get her essence back into her body." Xavier finished.

Wolverine nodded uneasily. "I don't know how to deal with someone else living in Rogue's body and walking around as Marie."

"She's not allowed to be me when she's her." Rogue explained. Logan's face still seemed puzzled so she continued. "I mean, when Carol is Carol, even though she looks like me, she's not allowed to act like me." She gave Logan a meaningful look, "She counts as another woman that day." Wolverine gave a half-smirk at that comment.

"She'll wear something. Probably pink, because for some God-awful reason she likes the color. And we'll be explaining to people that if I'm wearing pink, it's not me, it's her." Rogue sighed, "It's going to be confusing, but it's the best we could come up with."

Logan grumbled. "I don't really like any of the options." He squeezed Marie's hand tightly. "But I'll deal with them," he said, his eyes thoughtful.

O o o o o o o o o O

"Hey Marie, got a second?" Logan walked into their room, where she was reading a book on the bed. Carol's first day out was coming and they were both unsettled about it.

"Sure, what do you need?" Marie got up and walked over to him subconsciously adjusting her clothes at the sleeve, neck and waist, where skin was most likely to poke out where she wasn't expecting.

He didn't speak at first, but led her out of their room, and then opened the door to the outside, motioning for her to go through it. Once in the cool air, he put his arm around her, also wearing a long-sleeved shirt and gloves, though Marie was quite positive that he would have been warm enough in a tank. "What's up, Logan?" She was not nearly as nervous as before if he stated he wanted to talk. She knew his mind now, she knew he wasn't going to drop her like a bad habit, but especially with all the changes, she couldn't help a slight twinge in her stomach.

"Been thinking about things, with all this Carol business. Got something for you," he said gruffly. He reached over, took her hand and then placed something in it, closing her fingers around the item, giving her a momentary sense of déjà-vu.

_He closed her fingers around his dogtags. "I'll be back for these." She looked up at him, tears unshed in her eyes, but trusting that he meant those words._

Marie came back to the present with a smile, remembering how much that had meant to her back then. "What is it?" she asked curiously, still not opening her hand.

"You're supposed to look." Logan was not entirely comfortable at the moment. This sort of thing was not his strong point.

She slowly opened her hand to reveal two sets of dog tags, each holding two tags, one with her information, one with his. She took a deep breath as she picked up one set, slipping it over his head, then he did the same for her.

Before she could say a word, he spoke softly and quickly, still sounding almost upset, "I don't do rings. And dealing with the government is more hassle than it's worth. I know these meant something to you." He looked at her, challenging her to say this wasn't enough for her.

She nodded, still speechless. She kissed him quickly, concentrating with all her might to not drain him and allow the moment to last as long as possible, and finally settled into an embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, Marie." They stayed out under the stars for most of the night in each others' arms. It may not have been the wedding ceremony that many girls dream of, but for Marie and Logan, it was perfect.

O o o o o o o o o o O

AN: I really struggled with this decision. I had this last part written for a while, and I just wasn't sure where exactly I wanted to end it. But, in the end, I decided to put it here. The story isn't bursting to come out of me anymore, and if I decide I want to add more, I always can, but if nothing else comes to me, it will not join my long list of unfinished fics :)

Maybe I have ideas for a sequel, but I'll wait, work on some of my other fics and let them percolate before I try and jump on that bus.

Thank you to all of the people who reviewed, alerted and favorited this story. I hope you are not disappointed with the ending. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Words cannot easily express my gratefulness to everyone who read/reviewed. It's nice to know that people are reading.

Good night and good luck!

SapphireMind


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